Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within
by Jolly Green
Summary: Naruto/Tsukihime X-over AU Naruto/Hinata Shiki/Hisui - Konoha in ruins. The Tohnos go on vacation to a mountain known for it's foxes. How will their destinies change when Naruto and Shiki meet? What does Zelretch have to do with it all?
1. Bad Day in Konoha, Good Day in Japan

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Hello and welcome to my very first fanfic! I won't go into detail about what I plan for the story. That's for me to know and you to find out! ^_^

A little background info for the story: This is an AU where Konoha is in dire straits. It does NOT follow everything in the canon story. You'll see how exactly as the story starts. For those of you who haven't been introduced to the Type-Moon Universe, I'll try my best to portray the characters as realistically as possible, but with my own twist since I'm the one telling the story. The Type-Moon side is based off of Hisui's "Good" Ending in Tsukihime. If that doesn't make any sense to you, I suggest you Wiki it so that you know what's going on.

EDIT: Much thanks from me to **eternalshiva** for beta'ing this for me. She did some outstanding work! It's like a brand new chapter now! ^_^

Beta'd: 23 Jun 09 by **eternalshiva**.

Enjoy!

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Konohagakure was in ruins.

Buildings burned as the village laid in shambles; sections were completely destroyed as the giant snake summons slithered through. Screams were drowned out by the sounds of metal clashing; battles broke out everywhere through the village.  
Orochimaru had attacked without warning, sending his army of two hundred ninja alongside his snake summons which seemed ridiculous against the strength of Konohagakure's thousands.

To the casual observer, this would seem to spell disaster for the Otogakure ninja. However, every one of the two hundred ninja possessed a Level Two Cursed Seal, making a kill ratio of eight Leaf ninja for every enemy. Even with such low numbers, they were too powerful for the village protectors.

The Leaf ninja were doing everything they could to push back the enemy while trying to evacuate civilians. Unfortunately, with the summons causing wonton destruction throughout the village, they could barely hold the line. Most of them were pushed back towards the center of the village.  
Unknown to most of the combatants below, the deciding battle had already begun atop the Hokage Tower.

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The Godaime stood across from the enemy leader: Orochimaru. She stared with a murderous glare, bloodlust set in her mind. The body of their once teammate laid still beside her, his blank eyes stared into the darkened sky. She tried not to focus on the hole barrelled through his chest.

"You _bastard_!" she hissed, rage spat out each syllable with murderous intent.

"What?" he laughed softly, "Is the Hime upset that the _l__oser_ got himself killed?" he taunted. "He was willing to give up his life already. He sealed his fate when he attempted to use the same sealing jutsu the Old Man did in attempt to kill me." His disgusted look shifted into a faint grin. "Unfortunately, the same jutsu won't work twice on me; he was a fool to try it.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, you snake… I'm going to rip your head off and beat every last one of your little puppets into the ground with it!" Her face was torn between agony and rage.

"You're more than welcome to try," he sneered "but you'll fail just like little Jiraiya. Nothing can stop me! I have the ultimate body and the ability to learn every jutsu in existence now!"

She froze, falling to her knees as the realisation set in. "No… there's no way…Sasuke…"

His snake-like grin hung over her like a death sentence. "Oh, yes indeed." He gloated slightly, mocking her fruitless efforts to protect the boy "I took control of dear Sasuke's body not even three days ago."

She couldn't believe him.

"Just long enough for me to gather my army to come crush this _pathetic_ village! Once Konoha is wiped out and I get my revenge, the other hidden villages will fall quickly under my reign. Don't you agree, Tsunade-_Hime_?"

She was frozen in place; Orochimaru's forces had already taken over more than half of the village and the Snake himself had already killed Jiraiya. Her resources were limited in this battle since the only one with enough power to stop the invading army, while she was dealing with Orochimaru, was out of the country on a long-term mission.

Naruto had learned to keep his sanity up to his six-tailed transformation, easily the strongest ninja in the village. Unfortunately, with him gone, there was nothing capable of stopping the destruction of Konoha.

'_Dammit Naruto! Where are you?__'_she thought. '_You were supposed to be back a day and a half ago!__'_

A simple escort mission to the Wave Country shouldn't have taken longer than a week and a half for a round trip. There were only two options as to why he was late: something went wrong on the mission or Naruto was convinced to remain longer by the old bridge builder and his family.

'_I guess my only option is to hold off the Oto forces for as long as possible while the evacuation is underway__'__,_ she thought grimly. She stood up and started a familiar string of hand signs.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" With a poof of smoke, a small slug appeared before her.

"Katsuyu... I need you to pass these orders to the villagers: Evacuate the village." Her tone emphasised the seriousness of the situation, Her summon focused all her attention on her master as she continued to give her orders. "All jounin and chuunin not currently dealing with the evacuation are to hold off the attackers at all costs. I authorize the use of any and all jutsu in the intent to follow that order. All genin are to evacuate with the rest of the villagers," she paused for a moment. Mildly surprised her enemy hadn't attacked, she eyed him warily. Orochimaru just smirked at the blond Hokage and her summons, as if to say he wasn't concerned in the least what she did; that it was a futile gesture. She turned her gaze back to Katsuyu, her expression severe.

"Also, find Naruto and tell him to get his lazy ass back to the village as soon as he can. If he can't make it back before I die, tell him to meet with the villagers at point Omega and help with the evacuation. He knows the plan," she said grimly.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" the slug quipped and disappeared with another cloud of smoke.

"Are you finished with delaying the inevitable?" he mocked. "My patience only goes so far you know."

"Shut up you twisted fuck," she spat out. "You wouldn't know the first thing about taking care of your troops. All you crave for is _power_."

"My, my… I never knew you had such a mouth on you, Tsunade." A ghost of a grin graced his lips, Disgusted, she could only glare at him as he continued on. "Besides, they are nothing but pawns that I've been using for my cursed seal research. I've promised them freedom if they help me take control of the world. Not that I'll make good on that promise," he said wickedly. "If my little pawns were so weak as to be killed by pathetic Leaf ninja, they are beneath my standards and should be disposed of."

"You're despicable," she spat while gathering chakra in her hands. "I'm going to end you, here and now!"

Without a sound, she charged at her old friend.

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"Man, this sucks!" shouted out the blond-haired, blue eyed ninja.

"Naruto, quit complaining before I beat you so badly that you _can't_ complain anymore!" threatened the pink-haired kunoichi next to him.

"Now, now, Sakura," a deadpan voice interrupted her rant, "calm down before you end up knocking him out again." She huffed in annoyance. "You don't want to have to stop again and wait for him to recover, do you?" quipped the silver-haired jounin. He never once looked up from the orange book in his hand.

"But Kakashi-sensei! He's just _so_ annoying!" Sakura complained while glaring at the offending party.

"Come on Sakura-chan! You know we could get back faster if we picked up the pace! We're already a day behind!" Naruto shot back.

"Day and a half," she corrected automatically.

"See? We should speed up to make up for lost time!" he continued.

"Naruto, we've already been over this," sighed Kakashi, his patience thinning. "The Hokage already told us that she has a long-term mission for our team once we return. By going at this pace, we save our energy for the mission we already know is going to be very draining." Kakashi explained.

"I know that already Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grumbled out, "It's just that we're only about 6 hours away from the village! We could be back in a little over an hour if we went through the trees!" '_Only an hour away from Hinata__.'_ he thought impatiently.

He had promised to take her on an _actual_ date once he got back from this mission, not that she had minded eating at Ichiraku the last time. Shikamaru had bluntly told him that if he wanted to make an impression on a woman, he needed to wear something other than an orange jumpsuit and take her somewhere other than his favorite ramen stand. Being that Shikamaru was happily married to Ino for the last year, he took his word on it… and quickly found himself dragged around the shopping district for the better part of the day. Ino and Sakura both thought that his having a girlfriend was more than enough reason to hunt for sales to his dismay.

After that torture session with shopping, Naruto was considering giving up his nindo. He was in high opinion that no promise should be worth getting dragged from store to store having to try on clothes that were pushed at him under threat of bodily harm. Fortunately for the girls, he really liked Hinata. So he stuck it out and was now sporting a black shirt, with orange shoulders. To their dismay, he argued fervently with the two kunoichi that orange was a part of him and in no way would he back down from their objections at the "offending color". It went great with his new pair of tan shorts. Back at the apartment, his closet sported a pair of denim jeans, an orange and blue tank top, and a black leather jacket that went down to his thighs.

All in all, the girls considered it a success and made a show of torching his old jumpsuit in the middle of the street, he'd been humiliated by his friends. Once the fire had finally burned out, he had snuck back to the funeral site and gathered the ashes while grieving; the charred remains were now in an urn on his dresser.

Sakura cast a knowing glance over at Naruto. "What's the rush, lover-boy? In a hurry to get back to your dear 'Hinata-chan'?" she teased.

Naruto had the courtesy to blush. "N-no! That's not it at all!" he denied loudly, disregarding the fact that she was right.

Sakura laughed. "Don't worry Naruto, I'm pretty sure the village will still be there when we get back. Then you can take Hinata out on that date you promised."

Naruto sighed, defeated. "All right. All right. I'll lay off the complaining. Let's just get back as soon as we can," he said with a pout on his face. A cloud of smoke five feet in front of him made him stop in his tracks.

"Naruto-kun! There you are," the small slug said.

'_Oh crap__'__,_ he thought. "What's happened Katsuyu?" he immediately demanded, well aware that Tsunade would never have sent the summon unless something important had happened.

Kakashi and Sakura had both stopped as well and they both had identical worried looks on their faces.

"The village is under attack by Orochimaru and his army!" the small summon urged. "There are large snake summons running amok throughout the village, but Manda has yet to turn up." Sakura let out a small gasp while the two males looked into the distance towards Konohagakure. "The village has been ordered to evacuate. The jounin and chuunin who aren't assisting in the evacuation have been ordered to hold out as long as possible."

The slug slid forward a bit to gain the blond's attention. "Tsunade-sama has ordered you to return as fast as you can, but also said that if she were to die before you got back to the village, you were to go to point Omega and assist in the evacuation," the slug relayed.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, _damn_!" Naruto shouted, near frantic. "Where the hell is Ero-sennin?" he demanded from the small slug. "His toad summons should be able to take care of those damn snakes!"

"Unfortunately," Katsuyu started, cutting off his tirade "Jiraiya-sama was killed while fighting Orochimaru." Her small voice spoke volumes on the urgency of the situation. "I left just as Tsunade-sama went on the offensive."

All three ninja gasped, averting their faces to the ground in shock.

"Is Sasuke attacking the village as well?" Kakashi finally asked, breaking the tensed silence.

"In a sense, yes," the slug said to the looks of utter disbelief from the ninja. "His body was taken over by Orochimaru three days ago."

Naruto and Sakura both fell to their knees in complete shock. "No…" said Sakura in a murmur of disbelief. Naruto recovered first.

"I'm going to kill him…" he said softly at first while rising to his feet. There were tears coming from his eyes, the blue gone and replaced with the angry red of the Kyuubi. "I'm going to kill that bastard!" he shouted, his emotions on the brink of complete loss of control. So great was his rage that even those present could sense it coming off his body in waves.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, we're getting back to the village in 15 minutes," he said flatly while making a familiar hand sign. "Kage bushin no jutsu!"

Four more Narutos appeared with a poof of smoke and held out their hands to the original. The real Naruto bit his thumb and swiped his blood acrossed all four palms before they all started to make the same hand signs in unison and shouted, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

Behind them, through the forest, appeared five giant toads. The largest one eyed Naruto and spoke first.

"Eh? Naruto? What's the idea of summoning us way the hell out here?" Gamabunta asked, his tone left no room for discussion.

"We need your help, boss," Naruto quickly answered. "Orochimaru is attacking the village, Ero-sennin is dead, Obaa-san is fighting the bastard and we need you to get us back to the village fast. Once there, I need you and your brothers to take care of all snake summons. What do you say?" Naruto asked in a flat voice.

"Jiraiya's dead?" he chocked in surprise at the news, "This is an outrage! That damned snake will pay…" He looked back to his brothers and they all nodded in agreement, not even needing to be asked. "Well, when you put it that way my boy, how can I say no? Get your sorry ninja asses up here," he ordered. The three ninja did just that while Katsuyu disappeared in another poof.

"Hang the hell on!"

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Tohno Mansion

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"Shiki-sama……Shiki-sama……" a voice called for him. It was familiar and it was a sound he loved.

"Mmm..." he grumbled turning towards it while still half-asleep.

"Shiki-sama, it's time to wake up."

Shiki opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. He looked over to the side of the bed where his gaze was met by a pair of jade eyes and red hair. "Good morning, Shiki-sama. I'm sorry to rush you, but if you don't get changed soon, we'll be late getting to the mansion up in the mountains," she urged while bowing.

"Sorry Hisui. I didn't realize it was already this late," he said apologetically while getting up. He looked over to the clock and saw that it was only nine o'clock in the morning. He groaned. His sister always wanted to get a jump on things like this.

"How is Nanaya doing? Is she recovered enough to make the trip with us?" he asked.

Hisui nodded. "Yes Shiki-sama, she has been very excited about this trip ever since you told her about it. Akiha-sama also seemed livelier."

Shiki couldn't help but smile. His sister, Akiha, always tried to give the impression that things didn't excite her. Truth be told, she wanted to skip throughout the house. He blamed it on her father bringing her up to be a 'lady.' She just didn't get excited like normal people did, but those who knew her could always tell when she was excited about something.

"In that case, I'd better get a move on. Could you wait for me in the dining room and ask Nanaya to make me a Japanese breakfast?" he asked while walking towards his desk.

"Yes, Shiki-sama," she replied, bowing once again. As she turned to the door, he remembered something. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Oh, Hisui?" He waited until she had turned to him again. "Good morning."

Her familiar little smile graced her lips and replied, "Yes. Good morning, Shiki-sama." She then left the room so that he could change for the day.  
'It's going to be a great trip', he thought.

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Hooray!!! Chapter 1 is complete! How am I going to integrate these two storylines, you ask? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out!


	2. An Explosive End, A New Beginning

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Hello and welcome to chapter 2 of my very first fanfic. I'll just go ahead and say that I won't be joining the two storylines until around chapter 4. I'm sorry if that disappoints some of you, but I just feel that the story will flow a bit better with a little more build-up from both storylines. For those of you who still haven't gone and looked up Hisui's "Good" Ending: fear not, for I shall go into detail on the back story.

Warning: If you don't like character deaths, you might as well just stop right here and go read another fic. This and the next chapter are going to be bad. You have been warned! ^_^

Enjoy!

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Konoha – Hyuuga Mansion

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Two ninja stood back to back in the clearing in front of the Hyuuga Estates. The bodies of their enemies and comrades littered the ground around them. Grim expressions locked on their faces, they stood ready to destroy all those who would dare threaten their village and home. Currently being faced down by 3 Oto nins with no end in sight, they seemed very comfortable with their situation.

"Do you think my daughters made it to the Academy yet, Neji?" the older of the two asked.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. Unless the Oto nins somehow found our clan's secret tunnels, Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama should have made it to the Academy with the rest of our clan by now," Neji replied. One of the Oto nins charged in swinging blades made of visible chakra from his arms. He was easily able to dodge and counter due to his Byakugan already being active. While the enemy was disabled on the ground, Neji followed up with a thrown kunai to the throat to finish the job. War was brutal like that.

"These enemies are powerful, but inexperienced," Hiashi commented. "However I believe that the rest of the village isn't fairing as well as us. I think after we finish these two, we should destroy the mansion to ensure the enemy never discovers the tunnels and try to provide support to the other clans," he said as he finished off his opponent with a burst of chakra to the heart.

"I concur," Neji replied taking down his opponent following suit. He took out another kunai and readied it. "Time to go, Hiashi-sama," he said as he threw the kunai at a pre-positioned explosive tag on the front of the mansion. As the tag set off a chain reaction with other explosive tags, the two Leaf nins started to leap from roof to roof looking for more enemies.

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Konoha Academy

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Hinata was doing her best to keep the students calm and moving in an orderly manner, but with the sounds of battle right behind them, it was becoming an impossible task. As much as she wanted to worry with the students, she knew she had a job to do.

"Keep moving! Once we make it to the tunnels, we'll be safe!" She paused to pick up a first year student who had tripped on a step. "Come on. We're almost there. You can make it!" she reassured him. The student stood up and nodded, wiping away the tears from the pain and fear.

Hinata was the rear guard, so it was her responsibility to make sure she didn't leave any stragglers behind and hold off any enemies that made it past the Academy defenders. She had sent her sister Hanabi ahead with her classmates. Even though she had the most dangerous job of all the evacuating forces, she couldn't help but worry about the rest of her clan and her fellow ninja defending the village.

As they continued the climb, her thoughts drifted to earlier that day.

She had spent the day at Naruto's apartment waiting for him to return from his escort mission. He had given her a spare key and asked her to stop by and make sure the plant was watered. She had accepted it under the condition that he promised to have dinner at her house when he returned so that he could meet her father. He had hesitated for a moment, and then agreed while smiling his fox-like grin that she loved.

She was still at his apartment when the alarm went off signaling an attack. She didn't hesitate. She immediately grabbed one of his spare back packs and started loading it with the only things in the apartment she knew he cared about. She grabbed the urn and the goggles she had given to him on his 8th birthday (he still didn't know who they were from since it was a surprise present) from his dresser, putting them gently on the bottom of the pack, then tossing the only other set of clothes in his closet on top of them. Finally, she filled the rest of the pack with as many instant ramen cups as she could and shoved several pairs of chopsticks in a side pouch before running out the front door and locking it behind her.

She had just reached the Hyuuga Estates when her father had ordered her to take all those who weren't defending the village to the Academy and evacuate if the order came. This led her to where she currently was.

_Naruto-kun… where are you?_ she asked whomever was listening. _Please, kami, let him be safe,_ she thought as she reached the entrance to the tunnels that lead out of the village.

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Hokage Building

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They had been in a battle to the death for the last 30 minutes, neither of them really gaining the upper hand at any point of the fight. The reason they were so evenly matched was mostly due to Tsunade's monster strength and the fact that she had activated her regeneration jutsu about 20 minutes into the fight. No matter how badly Orochimaru damaged her, unless he could land a decisive one-hit kill, she would simply heal herself while continuing to press the attack.

They had also started gathering a crowd.

By this time, more than 80 percent of the village was secured by the Oto nins and those that had completed their assigned tasks had come to watch the two Sannin duke it out. There were maybe 25 nins kibitzing the fight, placing wagers on how long it would take their master to finish off the Hokage.

Tsunade knew her limits, and she knew that she could only last a little bit longer before she just wouldn't have enough stamina or chakra to mold for jutsus anymore. She knew that by now, everyone who was able to evacuate the village had already done so. So it was time to stop holding back.

Tsunade had never pegged herself for the suicidal type, but during her travels she had developed her own version of the Rasengan that bordered on that definition. She had lost control of a regular Rasengan for a second during the developmental stage and the resultant explosion ended up knocking her out. When she finally came to an hour later, she had been laying in a crater with a quarter mile diameter with multiple injuries.

Panting slightly, she eyed her opponent, gauging his remaining stamina. She counted about 40 Oto nins on the surrounding rooftops and deemed that more than enough to justify her jutsu's usage. _A fifth of the enemy's forces with one attack? Well worth it!_ she thought fiercely.

"All right," she said calmly. "It's time to end this." She began to gather chakra in her hands with her palms facing away from Orochimaru.

"Are you finally ready to give up? I know you're ready to drop from exhaustion. Now that your regeneration jutsu has worn off, you're only a breath away from death," he said with an evil grin.

"No dumbass. I'm finally ready to kill you like I said I would," she replied while increasing the power of the Rasengans in her hands.

"You don't have anything that could kill me," he stated matter-of-factly. "The only reason you've lasted this long was because of that damned regeneration jutsu. I refuse to believe that you've been holding back something with enough power to kill me in your weakened state!"

"Well, you're dead wrong. I've got a jutsu that has more than enough power to kill you. Unfortunately, I've only got one shot at it, so I'd consider this the biggest gamble of my life," she told him.

Orochimaru laughed. "Haaa hahahahaha! Too bad your luck has always been shit! You'll never kill me!"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. "Too bad for you that I'm not really worried about _my_ luck…" At this, Orochimaru's smile disappeared as he finally realized that the chakra coming from Tsunade's hands wasn't the same as it had been earlier in the fight. Tsunade's smile turned into a smirk as she turned her hands around to reveal the twin Rasengan. "…JUST _YOURS!_" she screamed as she charged at him, bringing both of her arms above her head and swinging down.

Orochimaru dodged the strikes with ease. She wasn't moving anywhere near the speed she was at the beginning of their fight. "Pathetic…" he taunted. Unfortunately, Tsunade wasn't aiming for him in the first place.

As the jutsus made contact with the roof, Tsunade put every last bit of chakra, stamina and life force she had left into making the jutsus go out of control.

_Dan…Nawaki…Jiraiya… I'll be there soon,_ she thought sadly. _Was I as good a Hokage as your dreams were…?_ a smile growing on her face. _Naruto… stay alive… your dream will come true one day, I'm sure of it…_

The jutsus detonated.

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Konoha – Outside the East Gate

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Five toads landed a quarter mile away from the wall surrounding the village. Or what was left of it. There were hardly any signs of ongoing battles anywhere in the village. Most of the chakra signatures in the village were around the Hokage Building.

"What in kami's name happened? The way Katsuyu made it sound, the battle hasn't even been going on for 2 hours!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"Orochimaru probably sent his strongest ninja. More than likely, they all had Level 2 Cursed Seals," Naruto stated remembering his fight against Sasuke in the valley. Most Leaf nins just didn't have the sheer power that those monsters did. He had managed to calm down on the outside, but inside he had simply focused all his rage into planning different ways to kill Orochimaru. What was worse, he could feel the two chakra signatures that stood out from the rest that he knew were Tsunade and Orochimaru. One of which was so massive that it threatened to overwhelm Naruto where he stood.

"That's Sensei's chakra… but I don't recognize the jutsu she's using," Sakura said with an even more worried look on her face.

"I do…" Naruto and Kakashi said together. "That's the Rasengan… but I've never felt it be formed like that before…" Naruto said. "What is she d-"

Naruto never had a chance to finish his question as the view in front of him went white.

"**TAKE COVER!**" Kakashi yelled.

The ninja jumped into the forest to hide behind trees while the toad summons took cover behind what was left of the wall around the village. The wind from the blast knocked over the smaller trees making them blow further into the forest and bent the upper branches of the large trees away from the blast. After about 30 seconds, the wind died down and debris from the blast started to fall around them.

"Stay in cover until the debris stops falling!" Kakashi shouted at his students.

"R-right!" agreed Sakura.

"Holy sh-… what the hell did she do to that jutsu?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"The way it felt, she probably intentionally overloaded the jutsu with chakra to make a massive explosion," Kakashi explained.

"A suicidal jutsu?! Why wou-" Sakura began to ask.

"I don't feel either of them…" Naruto stated. "I can't feel Orochimaru's or Obaa-san's chakra anymore."

"That answers that question… She must have developed it as a last ditch effort to take down an enemy stronger than her," Kakashi said.

Sakura fell once again to her knees, sobbing at the knowledge of losing both her teacher and the one she loved on the same day, finally letting the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness overtake her. Her teammates dashed over to catch her before her head hit something.

"Naruto… take Sakura to point Omega. Bring at least a half a dozen kage bushins with you in case you get attacked and have your hands full," Kakashi ordered.

"Right… except for one thing," Naruto said making a single hand sign. "Tajuu kage bushin no justu!"

Hundreds of Narutos appeared in a cloud of smoke around them. "The real me will go to point Omega with a dozen kage bushins while the rest sweep the village looking for survivors and any enemies left alive after that attack," he said grimly. "I'll leave one with you so it can keep you updated on what's happening around the village."

"Right…" Kakashi said trailing off. He was surprised that Naruto had come up with a good plan on so short notice.

"Let's go!" the real Naruto yelled to the kage bushins as he bent down to pick Sakura off the ground. The kage bushins and Kakashi all took off in different directions.

"Oi, Naruto!" Gamabunta rumbled. "It looks like that explosion killed off all the snake summons."

"Okay, thanks Boss! I guess we didn't need you to fight after all!" he yelled back.

"Right. We'll be going then," the giant toad said. Four of the summons disappeared in clouds of smoke, leaving only the Boss Toad there. "Oi, brat. Now that Jiraiya's dead, the toad summoning contract is your responsibility. You'd better find a worthy student to pass it down to before you die, you hear?"

"Gotcha, Boss. I'll be sure to do just that," he replied as the last summon disappeared. "Yosh! Let's get to the rendezvous. I've got a bad feeling about this whole situation…"

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Mountain Road

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A long black car drove along a winding road along the mountain. The passengers all had various expressions on their faces ranging from boredom to barely contained excitement.

Shiki sat in the back seat, facing the rear of the car, while looking out the window with a bored expression on his face as the scenery passed by. He hated car trips. There was never anything to do but watch as nature passed by the window too fast to really enjoy it. He glanced over at the girl sitting next to him.

Hisui, for once wearing something other than her maid uniform, was looking out the opposite window with a blank expression that was really her version of a smile. Shiki smiled as he thought about how the usually closed off girl had started to come out of her shell once her sister had woken up with amnesia after that ordeal 2 months before. Thinking of her sister, he looked across from Hisui towards the girl.

Koha-… Shiki shook his head sharply. Nanaya – he corrected himself – had a large smile plastered on her face with her eyes closed and her head bobbing up and down listening to the CD player Akiha had bought her a few weeks ago. Since 'waking up' she had discovered a love for American Rock music and constantly listened to it except for during meals. Shiki's smile widened slightly as he thought about how much the girl had changed, yet at the same time remained the same, since she had woken up.

Nanaya, Kohaku at the time, and Hisui were orphaned twins who were brought into the Tohno household when they were younger due to their abilities as Synchronizers. Shiki's expression fell as he thought about what his "father" had done to the poor girl.

The Tohno family wasn't a normal family. Somewhere in their history, they had mixed their blood with that of demons and as a result, almost all of its members had died of unnatural causes at early ages. Insanity, suicide, and most disturbing of all… Inversion Impulse. Those of the Tohno family all had non-human blood mixed in with their own. That non-human blood gave them extraordinary powers, but at the same time it was constantly attempting to take over their mind. Those that couldn't control it turned into monsters, and almost all members of the Tohno family ended up Inverting.

Makihisa Tohno, the previous head of the family, had tried to control his inhuman side by using the powers of a Synchronizer. Synchronizers were people with the power to transfer energy. That transfer of energy was performed by the exchange of bodily fluids, such as another person drinking their blood, but was strongest in the act of intercourse. Makihisa had brought the twins into the Tohno household for the sole purpose of using them to control his impulses. Kohaku had been used first and, after she had discovered that Makihisa had planned to use her sister in the same way, had pleaded with him to only use her. Because of this, Hisui was never forced to utilize her abilities as a Synchronizer. Instead, she had been allowed to go outside and play with Shiki and Akiha while Kohaku had been locked away in Makihisa's room to await his convenience.

Because of this, Kohaku had turned off her emotions and considered herself to simply be a doll – lifeless and without feeling. Aware of the abuse inflicted on her sister, Hisui's demeanor had changed so that she was severe and emotionless and she never let any male touch her. Not wanting to see Hisui change, but being unable to do anything to stop her, Kohaku had forced herself to put on a cheerful expression around everyone else to make up for it, thus completing the role reversal.

At that time, she also started to plot the downfall and ultimate destruction of the Tohno family. This plan did not include Shiki though, since he had not been born into the Tohno family. Shiki had been born Shiki Nanaya, and had been part of a clan of demon-slaying assassins. After the destruction of his clan at the hands of Makihisa Tohno and Kouma Kishima, Makihisa had decided to adopt him because he had the same name as his son.

Shiki and SHIKI had become great friends and both looked after their little sister Akiha together. Unfortunately, SHIKI had Inverted one day while they were playing and had attacked Akiha. Shiki's blood had immediately taken control and Shiki had been killed by SHIKI when he defended Akiha. Makihisa had then come out and killed SHIKI (as much as he could since SHIKI's powers included immortality and the power to steal life force).

Overcome with grief, Akiha had given half of her life force to Shiki, thus weakening her influence over her non-human blood. SHIKI had stolen half of the life force given to Shiki at the same time, leaving them both nearly invalid. Makihisa made the decision to lock away his real son SHIKI and insert Shiki into his place in the family as eldest son so that he wouldn't lose face in the business world. He had changed Shiki's memories so that he believed he truly was Shiki Tohno.

When Shiki had woken up in the hospital, he discovered that he had nearly died. Because of this, his eyes were able to see lines on everything – the walls, objects around the room, and even people. He had nearly gone insane after he had taken a plastic knife and cut his bed in half along those lines. At that point he realized how fragile the world really was and ran out of the hospital when nobody would believe what he was seeing.

In a field outside, he had met his Sensei. She had eventually given him a pair of glasses that prevented him from seeing the lines as long as he wore them. She had saved his life. If he hadn't met her, he would have certainly gone insane. After he recovered from his injuries and released from the hospital, Makihisa sent him to live with relatives – the Arima family.

8 years after that, Akiha, as the new head of the family, had called for him to return to the Tohno mansion after their father had died. Upon his return, Kohaku had set her plan into motion. She had tried to play off the imprisoned SHIKI's emotions and insanity to cause him to kill Akiha, thus ending the Tohno line. Shiki had ended up killing SHIKI using the power of his eyes after SHIKI had nearly killed Akiha.

Kohaku had then attempted to poison herself because she thought she no longer had a reason to live. Shiki had used his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception once again to find and destroy the lines of the poison in her body. When she had woken up, she had forgotten her past and everything she had done. Rather than make her relive her past, Hisui and Shiki had renamed her 'Nanaya' and let her return to the mansion to be a maid once again. Akiha had been upset about the plot but, since she cared for Kohaku, had decided to play along. They were all very careful to never use her old name around her.

Bringing himself out of his reminiscing, Shiki looked across from him only to meet the concerned eyes of his sister, Akiha.

"Nii-san, is something wrong?" she asked him.

Shiki shook his head. "No. I was just thinking about things. I'm sorry if I worried you, Akiha."

Akiha blushed slightly and nodded her head slightly. "It's fine, Nii-san. We're almost to the mansion anyway."

Shiki smiled at her. "Great! I can't wait to get out and stretch my legs. By the way, when was the last time you visited this mountain?"

Hisui looked over to him and answered. "The last time Akiha-sama visited the mountain mansion was several years before you were adopted into the family."

Akiha nodded her head in agreement. "Father stopped taking family trips after that due to his Impulse Inversion slowly surfacing," she continued quietly so that Nanaya wouldn't hear. The three of them tried their best to not bring up anything relating to her past life. None of them wanted her to revert back to the girl she was before.

"Alright, then this should be a brand new experience for all of us," he said with a smile.

The two girls nodded together. "Tonight, I suggest we get ourselves settled into our rooms and tomorrow we'll take a tour around the mountain. How does that sound, Nii-san?" Akiha asked.

"Sounds great," he replied. He looked over at Nanaya who was still bobbing her head up and down to her music while singing softly under her breath. "Nanaya-san, what's for dinner tonight?" he asked her in a slightly raised voice.

"I was planning on making a homey meal of curry and grilled fish, Shiki-san," she replied without stopping her head bobbing or opening her eyes. Shiki wondered if she had heard the earlier comment about Makihisa, but didn't bother to worry since she didn't seem to be affected by it if she _had_ heard it.

Shiki nodded his head, and then turned to look out the window once again now that the conversation had died off.

The driver's voice suddenly came through the speaker in the roof of the vehicle. "Tohno-sama, we're coming up on the driveway to the mansion."

"Thank you, driver," she replied after hitting the 'SEND' button on the panel next to her.

Shiki craned his body around so that he could see farther forward out of the side window, oblivious to the amused expressions on Akiha and Hisui's faces. The mansion soon came into view. The car came to a stop by the front door and the driver came around to open the door.

"Welcome to the Tohno Mountain Mansion," the driver said as he opened the door.

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Author's Notes

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PHEW!!! I know I promised to get the Tsukihime back story out there so you all could follow along, but DAMN! Oh well… guess it can't be helped. It was information that you needed to know, so my sore hands will just have to suck it up and start on Chapter 3!

If you want more detailed information on the Type-Moon Universe, typemoon dot wikia dot com/wiki/Tsukihime is a very good place to start. Simply click on any character's name to get a more detailed explanation of that character and their story.

Please note that I _**DID NOT**_ read Chapter 432 of the Naruto manga before writing the Naruto portion of this chapter. It was pure coincidence that Naruto used a Double Rasengan attack similar to the Tsunade in my story.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me! Any and all questions, comments or flames are welcome, but just know that if it isn't constructive, I'll probably just ignore it.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	3. A Mad Dash, A Leisurely Stroll

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Hooray! Chapter 3 is finally finished! I'm so ecstatic because I've had to rewrite almost the whole damn thing 3 times because of outages from the ice storm, failed saves to my portable hard drive, and my cat jumping on the damn power button of my laptop. Kami must not have wanted the chapter written, but I defied the gods and have COMPLETED IT! Mwahahahahaha!!! Erm… ya… hopefully from now on, the chapters will roll out with no problems. This chapter turned out to be longer than I expected, pretty much doubling the size of the story, but I just couldn't bring myself to make it into two chapters. Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

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Konoha Forest

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Orange and blue figures streaked through the forest jumping from branch to branch with a single blur of red held close to one of the others.

As soon as Sakura had woken up, she immediately started to cry silently and turned into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto let her cry herself out. He wanted to join her in her grief, but knew if he let himself stop and cry they'd both be sitting ducks for anyone hunting them.

They were taking a roundabout route through the forest to reach point Omega in case anyone was trying to follow them. Midway through a jump Naruto noticed a figure on the forest floor walking away from the village. Naruto signaled a stop to take a closer look, while passing Sakura off to one of the kage bushins next to him. He made ready to jump closer to get a better look when his tenant spoke up.

"**Wait a moment, Kit,"** he told, him causing him to pause. **"I believe I know that man. Make me a kage bushin, will ya?"** the fox demanded more than asked.

_Who the hell would you know in this day and age?_Naruto asked rhetorically while making the necessary hand signs to make a Kyuubi Bushin. _Fine, but I'm only going to let it last 5 minutes since we're in a hurry._

The fox chuckled knowingly. **"Anxious to find your mate, eh Kit?"** the fox teased.

_Yes!_ the blond yelled, then calmed while continuing. _Though she's technically not my mate since…_ he trailed off as he finished the hand signs.

This time the fox gave a full on laugh. **"Then I guess you'll have to fix that, won't you?"** he taunted one last time before disappearing from Naruto's consciousness.

Beside Naruto appeared a 6 foot tall, orange-haired, red-eyed trim and muscular male wearing an identical outfit to Naruto with the exception of the shirt. Where the main color of Naruto's shirt was blue, the Kyuubi Bushin's shirt was a crimson red. The Kyuubi looked over at Naruto and said, **"Won't take but a few minutes,"** before jumping off the branch towards the figure on the ground which had stopped and was looking up at the ninja.

During his training trip with Jiraiya, the Kyuubi and Naruto had come to an understanding. They agreed that if the Kyuubi stopped tormenting Naruto, promised to never hurt any of his precious people (or allow them to be hurt through inaction), and gave Naruto his chakra whenever he asked for it (within reason), then Naruto would give him more trust and develop a way to let the fox demon out of his cage from time to time. After they had sworn blood pacts agreeing to those terms, Naruto had set himself the task to create a kage bushin that could act as a vessel for the Kyuubi for extended periods of time.

What he had come up with was a kage bushin that could take almost as much of a beating as Naruto himself could, while at the same time allowing the fox to use an identical amount of tailed forms that Naruto himself could. Any more than that and the bushin would dispel (since the clones body couldn't handle more punishment than Naruto's real one could). He had showed the new ability to his teammates and, to everyone's surprise, it had actually gone better than expected.

After Naruto had reassured Kakashi and Sakura by telling them that he and the Kyuubi had both sworn blood pacts, they ended up hitting it off with the fox demon. After Sai had returned to ANBU's Root, they had been looking for a fourth member to round out their team. Now that they had the Kyuubi backing them up at a moment's notice (the Kyuubi _never_ turned down an opportunity to get out and stretch his legs), they were one of the top teams in the village.

"What's Kyuubi doing, Naruto?" Sakura asked him.

"He's going to check that guy out. He thinks he knows him, though I'm not exactly sure how a fox demon that's been effectively 'dead' for the last 16 years would know anybody around here," he explained.

"Maybe he's not from around here…"

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The tall man with silver hair wearing a trench coat looked at the approaching figure and was pleasantly surprised to recognize who it was. "Well, well… if it isn't Kyuubi, the Great Lord of the Foxes. It's been quite a while. You're just the 'man' I was looking for, truth be told."

"**Zelretch the Wizard Marshall. Still hopping around to alternate worlds I see. It's been, what? 200 years?"**the Kyuubi asked with a wry grin. **"Though I am a bit curious why you're here. Looking for me, no less."**

"More like 250 years, and actually I was simply trying to catch up with an old friend. When I was told that the last place you had been seen was Konohagakure 16 years ago, it seemed as good a place to search as any. When I got here to find the village being attacked, I figured you weren't here any longer and had moved on," the seemingly young man said with a frown. "I am a bit surprised to see you traveling with ninja though. I thought you hated ninja for what happened to your ma-," the Kyuubi cut him off with a slicing motion from his hand.

"**I do, but I now reserve my hatred for those ninja with no honor and any who attack helpless foxes for sport,"** he growled, ending any further discussion of his past. **"Alas, 16 years ago I was sealed inside that blond kit over there by the leader of that village and was forced to wait for him to age enough before I could communicate with him enough to come to an understanding. We get along rather well. What about you? Have you found anyone in your travels able to duplicate your 'magic' yet?"** he queried.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. She's actually from the same world that you visited with me last time. Currently she is finishing her studies at the Mage's Association, but once she's finished she intends to study under my tutelage along with her 'apprentice'," the magician stated smugly. "I can't wait to traumatize the enthusiasm out of them," he added with a semi-evil grin.

The Kyuubi laughed. **"Now I rememeber why we got along so well! You're still a sadistic bastard!"** the fox howled.

"HEY! If you're going to keep having fun over there, we'll just leave you behind!" Naruto yelled from his perch. "I've already sent a couple kage bushins ahead to let them know we're coming in! I'll give your clone another 5 minutes before it dispels, but we're going on ahead!" he said as he took off with the rest of the kage bushins and Sakura.

"Not a very patient one, your vessel, is he?" Zelretch asked with an amused look.

"**Not by a long shot, old friend. He's in a hurry to make sure his mate is safe at the evacuation point, so I can't exactly fault him for that,"**Kyuubi explained.

"I see. So after that temporary 'body' disappears, will I be able to find you around here again? Or will you disappear off the face of the earth again?"

"**I've got a bad feeling about this whole situation… I've still got the space-time coordinates of the world we went to the last couple of times memorized, so if things go bad here…"**

"I understand. Well, now that we've gotten old business taken care of, what is it like being locked away inside a human adolecent for 16 years?" he asked while trying to hide his laughter and failing miserably.

"**Ugh! You have NO idea! It's like-"**

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"Damn fox! Making us wait around while he BS'd with an old buddy! He'd better explain himself when he gets back, otherwise I'm not going to let him out for awhile," Naruto practically snarled. He was _very_anxious to get to point Omega so that he could see Hinata. If he lost her, he knew he would break down and stop functioning just like Sakura had and he wanted to do everything in his power to prevent that possibility from ever occurring.

"Don't worry so much, Naruto. I'm sure that everyone who evacuated is just fine," she told him, once again moving under her own power, trying to calm him down. "Though I'm curious as to where point Omega is. I've never heard of it at all!" she complained.

Naruto snorted. "Don't feel too bad about it, Sakura-chan. The only reason I know it's location is because it was supposed to be a hiding place for me as a last resort to get away from Akatsuki," he told her grimly. He did not look pleased at the idea of him running and hiding while there was still a fight to be had. "But because Obaa-san told me the location, she also had to tell me about the secret caves behind the Hokage Monument and the original purpose and plan for point Omega. You can probably already guess the purpose and plan, but the location is a closely guarded secret known by only 6 ninja in the village at any given time. Obaa-san broke that rule and made me lucky number 7." His face turned downcast remembering the older lady that was like his grandmother.

"Who were the original 6? Or do you not know?" she asked.

"Well…Tsunade of course, then there was Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei, those 2 council geezers and…" Naruto trailed off as what was bothering him since the village finally became clear. _Why didn't I see it before?!_ he berated himself.

"…and who, Naruto? Why'd you stop talking?" Sakura asked with a worried expression.

"Danzo…" he stated flatly.

"Danzo?!" she nearly screeched. "We've got to hurry and get everyone out of there! They're all in danger!"

"Damn! Looks like drastic times call for drastic measures. I know a way to get them all out of there quickly, but it's risky as hell, and I doubt the villagers are going to like it very much!" he exclaimed as they kicked up the pace a notch.

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Point Omega

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At the end of the maze of tunnels was point Omega, tucked away in a secret valley hidden by natural and artificial camoflauge and several _very_strong genjutsu. If you were not one of the 7 people who already knew where it was, or led by them, you simply _could not_find point Omega. This fact made many of the defending ninja relax, thinking they were safe from attack. However Iruka wasn't so sure of that fact. Of the 6 others who knew the location of point Omega, three he knew for a fact were dead. One of the other genin squads had watched the two elder council members be cut down by Kabuto and they had felt the Godaime's chakra flare and then completely disappear while they were still in the tunnels, shortly followed by the shocks of the explosion outside.

Of the remaining three, Iruka trusted two of them implicitly. Naruto and Kakashi would sooner commit seppuku than betray their village. It was the final person, Danzo, which worried him. Danzo was the only member of the Leaf council that had openly disagreed with the Sandaime's teachings and opposed him for the seat of Hokage. After his death at the hands of Orochimaru, Danzo had thought that the clan heads would convene and name him Hokage so that the village would have a leader to prevent them from looking weak.

When Tsunade had been chosen instead, he had disappeared from the public eye, only to reappear once Tsunade had officially become Hokage. He had immediately started to cause dissent within the council, trying to find, and at times making up, reasons to find Tsunade unfit to be Hokage. If anyone was going to betray the location of point Omega, it would be him, and Iruka didn't like that prospect at all. He voiced his concerns to the other defenders that he absolutely trusted and told them to keep alert for anything suspicious, while at the same time starting to make plans to evacuate their current position.

He didn't have much time to contemplate before Naruto's two kage bushins showed up at one of the side entrances to the small valley. Both were out of breath, but still sprinted in different directions to do what they came to do. One of the kage bushins ran up to Iruka while the other went searching for, presumably, Hinata.

"Iruka-sensei! We've got big problems! Danzo might be planning to ambush us here in order to eliminate any opposition for the position of Hokage! We need to evacuate as soon as possible to somewhere he doesn't know about," he collapsed as he completed his report, struggling to get as much oxygen as possible.

"We know about the possibility Naruto, but we haven't had time to come up with anything yet," Iruka replied, frowning.

"So you don't have a plan yet? Good, then my plan will be a complete surprise to anyone who may be trying to backstab us. Since we've got everyone left here in one spot, we need to group them together a bit before the real me shows up. The plan is to seal them all in a large scroll, which in turn will be sealed into a smaller scroll for portability. You'll be the one holding onto it with a bunch of my kage bushins as an escort while we go to the new evacuation point. How's it sound?" he asked after finishing his spiel.

Iruka thought about it for a bit, then looked down at the still panting bushin and nodded. "That's a solid plan, but I think we can come up with some contingencies before your real self gets here."

"Well, when the real me had one of the other bushins dispel to inform us of the new plan, they were only 10 minutes or so behind us, so we should think quickly," the bushin urged, finally getting to his feet.

"I'll get the other defenders to start moving the civilians together so we're already ready on our end when you get here," Iruka replied. "You start thinking of backup plans."

"Ossu!"

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"Hinata-chan!" was the cry heard halfway across the valley.

Hinata turned towards the voice, her expression lighting up to almost blinding levels. "Naruto-kun!" She took off towards him and met him a mere fifty yards away with a headlong glomp.

"Oof! Careful Hinata-chan, otherwise you'll dispel me and won't have anyone to hug," he teased.

She loosened up her grip, but still kept her hug firm. "I was so worried that something bad had happened to you, Naruto-kun. I couldn't stop thinking about it the whole way here; even when I kept telling myself that there was no way you could die after promising to take me out on a date when you got back. You never break your promises! It's your Nindo," she wailed with tears streaming down her face.

At those words, the bushin's smile fell away to reveal the pain he had kept locked away inside. "Not intentionally anyways…" he mumbled, pulling her closer. Silent tears fell from his eyes unbidden. Hinata pulled away slightly to look up at his face, completely aghast at what she had just heard.

"Wh-what do you mean, Naruto-kun?" she asked him, her expression becoming more worried by the second.

"I mean that I didn't keep my promise of a lifetime with Sakura. Sasuke's body was taken control of by Orochimaru three days ago, and there wasn't a GODDAMN thing I could do about it!" his voice breaking with grief at the end. Both of them fell to their knees, mostly carried there by the bushin's mass after its legs gave out, where they both stayed while Hinata tried to comfort Naruto's bushin.

After a several minutes had passed and the bushin on the ground had cried itself out, the other bushin walked over to the couple with a frown on its face. "Come on, baka. We've got a job to complete before the real us shows up. Then we can finally get the villagers to a safe place. I'm pretty sure I've picked out all the traitors in our present group and have been instructing Iruka-sensei to give most of them tasks that seem important, but in reality is just busy-work, while giving the ninja who are loyal jobs that look like crap, but put us in the best tactical position when this ambush occurs."

At this the other bushin nodded his head without looking up, gently removed himself from Hinata's embrace, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before taking off with the other bushin across the valley once again. Hinata's face blushed scarlet red, but didn't pass out due to the knowledge that they were still at war with an ambush eminent. She returned to her post next to the cave they had entered through, still acting as rear guard in case something came up from behind them. _At least he's still alive…_ she told herself.

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Several minutes after the two kage bushins showed up at the evacuation point, the real Naruto along with Sakura and the rest of his bushins came sprinting from the same cave as the other two. By that time, the Kyuubi had rejoined Naruto and given him a brief rundown of his conversation with Zelretch along with an explanation of who he was. Naruto was surprised to find out that the man was a vampire, but even more shocked to find out that he didn't drink blood from humans like others of his kind.

"**I'll explain about it in more detail later, Kit. Right now we have more pressing matters to deal with,"** the fox told his host.

_You'd better,_ responded the boy with some heat. _And don't give me that crap about world hopping either, 'cause I'm not buying it!_

"**Kit, think about it. You don't REALLY think I sat around in this world sleeping whenever I wasn't causing havoc every hundred years or so, do you?"**the fox asked with a sigh. Naruto thought about it for a second, and he had to agree that it would be a big waste of the fox's time to sleep for a hundred years just to wake up and cause some mischief. **"Now get your head in the game!"**

_Right, I've still got a job to do,_he told himself. Sakura went off to tend to the injured before Naruto sealed them away. Time would freeze for them once inside the scroll, but it wouldn't do to have a fatally injured person sealed inside only to be released somewhere where there were no medical facilities. The rest of his clones started reinforcing the perimeter guards and the clone that had spoken to Iruka dispelled itself to pass along what had happened in the few minutes since it had gotten there.

Naruto knew then that when his other clone dispelled, it was going to be difficult to deal with. The second clone landed next to him shortly after the first dispelled. "Yo. So I guess you know the deal now, right?" the bushin asked his real self. Naruto gave a slight nod. "Good, then instead of making you deal with my memories right now, I'll go hide somewhere to provide top cover while you all deal with getting the villagers out of here. I've still got about 2 hours left before I dispel, so get a move on. It wouldn't be good if I dispelled at an inopportune time."

"Okay, that's a good idea. Thanks," he said to the bushin as it jumped away. He then made his way over to Hinata.

Hinata saw him coming and started to tense up knowing that he was probably coming over to talk more about what happened. She hadn't meant to discourage him with her words; she only wanted to let him know that she was glad he was safe. She started trembling and turned her eyes to the ground. She jerked in surprise when a pair of hands touched her shoulders. She looked up and met his cerulean eyes.

"Hinata-chan, thank goodness you're alright," he said to her. She started to say something to him, but he spoke up first. "Hinata-chan, I saw what happened when my other clone dispelled. Don't worry about it okay? We'll deal with it when the time is right. Right now, though, we've got to get these villagers out of here. I'll have a couple of my clones watch your post," he told her as he took her hand and started walking towards the large group gathered in the center of the valley.

Hinata glanced back to where she had been standing by the cave and saw that the ninja she had been with before was shooting daggers at Naruto's bushins with his eyes while Naruto's bushins returned the favor in kind. Hinata had always wondered why the villagers had hated Naruto and treated him badly. She could never understand it since he had never done anything to them that would warrant such behavior. She had never asked him about it since she thought it might be a sore subject with him, but now that the villagers were still treating him like that even when he was here to save them, she promised herself that she would bring it up when they got the chance to sit down and talk.

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Little did she know, the ninja's hatred toward the boy was only partially due to the demon fox sealed inside of him. The main reason he was angry was because the demon boy had thwarted his plan to kidnap the Hyuuga heir to hold as a hostage and left two of his shadows there to watch his every move.

Rito was certain that Danzo-sama's plan was falling apart around them. Especially now that he could see kage bushins of the demon brat all around the area, mostly grouping around those who were parts of the plan to eliminate the villagers that supported the Sandaime's teachings.

He could see by his comrade's faces that they were all thinking the same thing. Their only job was to create enough chaos to distract the defenders long enough for the Root ninja to get past the outer perimeter of defenders and attack the gathered villagers. When Rito had seen the other ninja start grouping the villagers closer together, he had thought that his job had gotten easier. All it would take is a couple of large jutsu to kill them all and once cleansed, Danzo-sama would remake Konohagakure to the way it should have been from the beginning.

However, when the real demon brat showed up and his bushins started spreading out around the perimeter, he knew that the original plan was screwed. Not that there was anything he could do about it. He just had to cause a commotion when the signal was given. He hoped the Root ninja would be able to do their jobs before that demon brat interfered, but he wasn't going to bet on it.

He glanced back towards where the real demon brat had gone with the Hyuuga heir and noticed he had removed a rather large scroll from another scroll in his pouch while talking to the gathered villagers. Some seemed scared, but most had expressions of acceptance on their faces to whatever the brat was telling them. The brat then placed the scroll on the ground and started writing on it with a paintbrush very quickly. When he had almost finished, Rito finally realized what was happening and turned his entire body towards him so that he could jump over and stop him. He was stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the cold metal edges of two kunai at his throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," one of the bushins said to him. He had completely forgotten about them during his mental ranting and he cursed himself for being so inattentive. His eyes glanced over to where his comrades stood only to find them in similar situations. "On second thought, it might be better to just knock you out and leave you all here so that it'll be harder to follow us." Rito tensed at his words and expected the blow to come shortly after.

Instead he heard two solid thumps behind him followed by two poofs and the removal of the kunai from his neck. He turned to see the Root ninja come streaming from the cave that he was supposed to be guarding and sighed in relief. He turned back to the center of the valley only to find his comrades either dead or knocked out and the villagers nowhere to be seen.

Battle had erupted all throughout the valley as the defenders turned and faced the attacking ANBU. A small group of ninja surrounded by at least two dozen kage bushins of the demon fox was making its way towards one of the caves, trying to escape. It seemed like a good target to attack, but unfortunately there was an even larger group of bushins and ninja taking on the ANBU Root ninja between him and the fleeing group. He decided that he REALLY needed to get his hands on that scroll and give it to Danzo-sama.

He made his way around the outskirts of the battle towards the cave that the fleeing group had taken and started to track which way they went.

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Caves leading away from point Omega

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Sakura looked over at Iruka with a worried expression on her face as they made their way through the caves. "Iruka-sensei, do you think Naruto and Hinata will be alright?" she asked him.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "It's Naruto we're talking about here. You know he won't allow anything to happen to Hinata. He'd take a kunai before he'd let someone hurt her. To be honest, I'm more worried about us right now. It's only a matter of time before somebody starts to track us down."

"Then I guess we'd better head straight to Sunagakure as fast as we can. I'm sure Kazekage-sama will offer us asylum once we tell him what happened," she replied.

"If Gaara won't let the villagers stay in his village, I'll just have to kick his ass again," one of the kage bushins stated with a smirk. They all took the final turn that would bring them out of the cave and sped up. As they left the cave behind, the ninja took to the trees and abandoned stealth for speed.

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Point Omega

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Within 20 minutes of the beginning of the battle, it had come to a close. A very tired Naruto and Hinata were standing in the middle of a ring of Root ninja. Outside the ring were the scattered bodies of the rest of the defenders and most of the Root ninja that had attacked them. Only fifteen or so of the ANBU remained standing after Naruto had unleashed most of his jutsu arsenal upon them, but now he was almost out of chakra and quickly running out of stamina. Hinata had saved him numerous times throughout the battle with her Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms. Now even she was almost completely out of strength and barely standing.

They readied themselves for another attack when a voice called out. "Wait a moment."

The two of them looked towards the voice and saw none other than Danzo himself. Naruto's face turned feral in an instant. "You bastard! You would attack helpless people from your own village just so you could implement your own ideals? You're no better than Orochimaru!" Naruto snarled at the older man.

"Stupid boy, this is known as a _coup_. The previous leadership of the village was incompetent at best. It needed to be destroyed and replaced with a stronger regime," Danzo said proudly. "You can either surrender, and spare yourself a painful death by being a weapon for the village, or we can kill your little girlfriend there before we capture you and remove the Kyuubi from your body and place it into another of our choosing."

Naruto's eyes flashed red at the mention of them killing Hinata only to have his expression immediately change to worry when he mentioned the Kyuubi inside him. He glanced over at Hinata and saw the shocked expression on her face. _She hates me now,_he thought. The idea of Hinata hating him crushed his heart. _Why would anyone love a _monster_?_

Hinata's shocked expression softened to one of understanding, and then quickly shifted to anger. _Now I understand why the villagers always treated Naruto-kun badly! They were stupid to think that he was the monster that he kept locked away!_ she thought fiercely. _Anybody could see that he was a good person at heart!_

Naruto saw her angry expression and it cause his heart to fall even further. _I knew it. The best thing I can do for her now is to surrender so that she can live._

"Oh ho! By the looks of it, she didn't know about the demon fox sealed inside you, did she? Afraid that she would leave you if she knew the truth? Well you're right! How could anyone love something that had a demon inside them?" Danzo taunted as the boy's head fell in shame. He then turned his gaze to Hinata who was still shaking in anger. "It was Hinata Hyuuga, wasn't it? It's understandable you feel that way since you just found out, my dear. If you feel too disgusted standing next to him, you're free to step out of the circle. My men won't attack a non-combatant."

Hinata shaking intensified as she brought her eyes up to Danzo's. "The only one here who's disgusting is YOU!" she screamed in rage. "Naruto-kun has done nothing but try his best to protect the village he loves and the people in it since he became a ninja! Naruto-kun is not the monster you all treat him as! If anybody could be called a monster, it would be all the villagers who treated him poorly throughout his life! Yet he _STILL_protected them all with his life whenever they were in danger! Naruto-kun is a hero! He's _my_hero! He's the one that inspired me to be the strong and confident kunoichi I am today! Naruto-kun is Naruto-kun, not some demon!" she finished hoarsely.

Naruto and everyone else present was shocked into silence. The Kyuubi laughed inside of him. **"Hahahahaha! Kit, I swear to kami, if you let this one go, I'll kill you myself just to make sure the stupidity gene doesn't get passed on!"** the Kyuubi said while he continued to laugh.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto said softly while looking at her.

"Naruto-kun, we can talk after we get out of this," she replied quitely, her expression still fierce.

"**She's right, Kit. We need to get out of here quickly. Several of the enemies are holding seals that are able cut off my chakra, knocking you out in the process,"** the fox explained.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm fresh out of ideas on how to do that," he replied just as quietly.

"**I may have an idea, but we've only got one shot at it. I can open a portal very briefly to another world that we could escape into. However it would mean being willing to leave everything you love behind,"** the fox told him.

_Even Hinata-chan?_ he asked frantically.

"**I stand corrected. Everything you love EXCEPT your mate. You'll need to grab hold of her before entering the portal and not let go until we reach our destination though,"** he allowed.

Naruto thought about it for a moment then asked one final question. _Would we be able to come back?_

"**Yes, but not for some time. The trip takes quite a bit out of me and I'll need some time to recover. Last time I made the trip it took a month. The time before that it took 5 months, so it may not be quite so long until we can come back to this world,"** he told him.

_Let's do it then. What do I have to do?_ he asked.

"**I'll give you the hand signs and feed you the chakra at the last second so that they don't realize you're about to use my power."**

"On the other hand," he said aloud,"maybe I do have one more trick up my sleeve." He started to make the hand signs that the Kyuubi told him to make while preparing himself to grab Hinata as soon as the jutsu was complete. "Hinata-chan, do you trust me?" he asked quietly. She nodded her head. "Then stay close to me," he said under his breath. The girl nodded again and stood back to back with him.

"I don't know what you're doing, but nothing in your arsenal can get you out of this, demon," Danzo called out. "If you don't plan on surrendering right now, we'll just kill your girlfriend right now."

"Feel free to try, but I plan on getting out of here with my girlfriend in one piece," he said as the Kyuubi fed his chakra into the jutsu as he finished making the hand signs. _**"Kaleidoscope Gateway Jutsu!"**_ he yelled as he held his hands in front of him.

A crimson and black portal opened up in front of Naruto. He turned and grabbed Hinata by her waist and jumped though the portal while holding on to her like his life depended on it. Danzo saw that his quarry was escaping and opened his mouth to order his men to follow them. Only nothing came out since his throat was missing from his neck. The kage bushin that had been providing top cover while hiding finally revealed itself when the opportunity arose to cause mass confusion in the enemy by killing their leader. Its kunai was covered in the gore that used to be Danzo's throat.

"I'd never let anyone hurt Hinata-chan, especially not a fucking traitor like you," it said looking down at the dying ninja before the Root member next to Danzo cut through it with his katana, dispelling it. By the time the Root ninja all turned back to the center of the ring, the portal had vanished and they were left standing there, leaderless.

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Rito had been tracking the fleeing ninja for the last 20 minutes and while it had been easy to follow them since they weren't trying to be stealthy, they weren't easy to catch up to either. He stopped for a second to check for signs of which direction they had gone and froze when he heard a voice behind him.

"I don't take kindly to people who try to hunt down those I know," the voice said in a flat tone.

Rito spun around, taking out a kunai in the process, and glared at the giant silver-haired man wearing a long coat standing on the end of the branch he was on. His eyes were bright red and his smile was feral. Rito's blood went cold when he looked into those eyes. "W-what are you?" he stuttered out.

"Ah, good. You're intelligent enough to realize that I'm not human. I am a type of creature that sustains itself on the genetic material of humans," Zelretch replied.

Rito didn't understand. Genetic material of humans? What the hell did that mean? Genetic materi- Rito's eyes flew wide open as he realized what was in front of him. "You mean blood? You're a v-v-vampire? Impossible! Those are just stupid myths!" he yelled.

Zelretch just shook his head and replied evenly. "It does not matter if you do not believe what I am, since you will die here regardless ."

At those words, Rito turned to jump off of the branch, but didn't even make it all the way around before the vampire had ripped out his spine and thrown it aside. His lifeless body fell towards the ground, landing with a sickening thud.

"Luckily for you, I haven't tasted _fresh _human blood in the last 800 years or so," he said to the now dead shinobi. He then put his hand in front of him and said, "Kaleidoscope Gateway." A golden portal opened in front of him and he stepped through, the portal closing behind him.

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Mountain Mansion

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The day after arriving at the mansion, Shiki decided to take a walk around to relax while Nanaya and Hisui cleaned around the mansion. Apparently it had been many years since anyone had used the mansion, and the two girls refused to let their masters sit around inside while they worked on removing the majority of the accumulated dust and dirt. Akiha had managed to talk Shiki into letting her join him on his walk.

They decided to just walk around the mansion a few times, simply taking in the area, before trying to go hiking on one of the natural trail behind the mansion. Both of them had grown up with weak constitutions, and it was a habit for them to warm up a bit before engaging in any strenuous activity. That problem no longer existed now that Shiki and SHIKI weren't sharing a forth of Akiha's life force each. With SHIKI dead, it was so much easier for both of them to just share half a life apiece. However, the habit still remained.

After their warm up, Akiha turned to her brother and asked, "Which trail do you want to take first, Nii-san?"

Shiki had been wondering the same thing for the last 2 laps around the mansion. There were 3 noticeable trials leading up the mountain from the edge of the forest. The largest was in the middle and it looked like it had been used by the local animals often. Shiki had originally wanted to take that one first, since it looked the safest, but his attention was instead drawn to the smallest of the paths on the far right side of the tree line.

Sitting by the trail was a small red fox that hadn't moved the entire time they had been walking. Shiki could have sworn that it had been staring at them the entire time they had been outside, but had dismissed it as paranoia left over from their ordeal 2 months before. He looked at the fox closely for a moment before answering.

"I think we'll take the smallest path. We won't go far, but I'm curious as to why that fox hasn't run off yet with humans so close," he replied.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you don't know much about this mountain, do you Nii-san?" she asked looking up at him. "This mountain is sometimes called the Mountain of the Fox because of the abundance of wild foxes on it. They tend to be very friendly with humans, but also very wary. There used to be a tourist village further down the mountain, but its popularity fell due to the foxes keeping low profiles during the tourist seasons," she explained.

Shiki was still looking at the fox while Akiha gave her explanation. The fox kept looking quickly back at the trail, then turning back to look at Shiki and Akiha.

"I think it's trying to get our attention," he said, finally glancing down at his sister.

Akiha shifted her gaze from her brother to the fox sitting by the trail. The fox once again looked back at the trail only to look directly back at them again. "I think you're right, Nii-san. Well, it would be rude to ignore such an obvious invitation, right?" she replied looking back up at her brother.

They started walking towards the path, and when they had made it halfway there, the fox gave a small yip and started to trot down the trail quickly.

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They continued to follow the fox as it led them down the winding path for about 10 minutes. The fox would occasionally pause on the path and sit until they had caught up again before continuing. After 10 minutes the small fox took a sharp turn to the right, going towards the base of the mountain. The two humans looked at each other and shrugged before following the fox off the path.

After a few minutes, they both noticed a change in the air around them. It had started to get slightly, but noticeably, warmer and it felt like the air itself was charged with energy. Neither of them had ever felt anything like this before and decided to quicken their pace so that they could reach their destination quickly. The sooner they got away from whatever this was, the better.

The fox finally came to a stop in a small clearing, jumping on a fallen tree and sitting on its haunches while looking back at Shiki and Akiha. They stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked around. The uneasy feeling had grown greater the closer they had come towards this place and now it was strong enough to have them backing up a step from the sheer intensity of it.

"What the heck is going on around here?" Shiki asked rhetorically.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it. We should leave as soon as possible," Akiha suggested.

Shiki nodded his head before taking one final glance at the fox sitting on the fallen tree. He turned to leave with his sister when he heard a _whoosh_ behind him. Looking back he saw that the fox had bolted, and in the center of the clearing was a crimson and black oval hovering a few inches off the ground.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Akiha asked fearfully.

"I don't know Akiha, but I think we're about to find out!" he said back.

True to his words, right after he said that, two figures fell out of what was now apparently a portal. One was male that had blond hair, wearing a torn blue shirt with orange shoulders and ripped up khaki shorts. The female he was clinging to for dear life had bluish-black hair and was wearing a shredded white and lavender long sleeved shirt and a pair of calf-length black pants. Both wore what looked like headbands; the boy on his forehead and the girl loosely around her neck.

The portal they fell out of immediately closed behind them, the intense feeling disappearing with it. The blond boy shook his head to try and clear it up then lifted himself off the girl to get a look around. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, the boy stood as the girl started to stir. He kneeled down and put his hand on her face and spoke softly to her. Her eyes flew open and she blushed deeply as he smiled at her. She looked around quickly, checking their surroundings and her eyes came in contact with the two standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Um… Naruto-kun, we seem to have company," she told him quietly, continuing to look at them.

The boy's gaze followed the girl's and his eyes shot wide open with surprise.

"Um… hi?"

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Author's Notes

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14 pages of writing this chapter… my hand for the greater good! So far I'm happy with how this story is coming along. But in the long run, it doesn't really matter what _**I**_ think, it only matters what _**you**_ all think. So _**PLEASE**_, leave a review and let me know how I'm doing and what you like and dislike about my story. If I don't start to get a bit more feedback in the next couple of weeks, I may just put this project on hold until I get back from Africa. Who knows? I may even throw myself into the story at some point to spice things up. =^_^=

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	4. Meeting New Friends

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Chapter 4, complete! This will probably be the last chapter for a week or two, due to the fact that I'm in the process of packing up my house and moving. Once I get everything squared away, I might be able to get a head start on the next chapter on the plane. Other than that, I have to ask that you all remain patient with me while I deal with my personal issues (not that I have that many people following this story right now ^_^). This is the first chapter where I'll be writing the 2 storylines together, so bear with me as I find my comfort zone.

Enjoy!

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Forest Clearing

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"Um… hi?"

Shiki and Akiha simply stood there, mouths gaping, looking at the two teenagers that had just fallen out of the portal.

Naruto and Hinata were looking back at the two people that had just been standing there with slightly varied expressions on their faces. Hinata was worried, yet at the same time embarrassed that someone had seen the two of them so close together. Naruto simply wore his fox-grin while addressing the two strangers, but he too was worried inside. He didn't know if these two were enemies in disguise that had somehow followed them, or if they were simply innocent passerby that coincidentally ran into them.

However he didn't believe in coincidences anymore, not after being on the run from the Akatsuki for two and a half years. Whenever something out of the ordinary happened, he immediately started trying to look underneath the underneath in order to figure out if there was a threat. The two people in front of him didn't seem like threats, though he could tell that the girl had something along the lines of demonic powers.

She smelled strongly of burnt blood despite the light perfume she was wearing, and the only times he had smelled anything that strongly was when he was around others that had demonic powers. Hell, he had even been told by Gaara that he smelled of fox several times in the past. Not that the raccoon jinchuriki smelled any better to Naruto.

The boy next to her didn't seem to have any demonic aura, but he knew something was unusual about him as soon as he looked at his eyes. Though the boy was just looking at them in surprise, Naruto thought that something was weird about them; he just couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

For Shiki's part, after recovering from the surprise of two people appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a forest, he simply smiled and responded. He'd seen enough strange things in previous months that something as simple as this didn't keep him surprised for long.

"Hi, yourself. Beautiful day we're having, ne?"

Akiha shifted her surprised expression from the two in front of them to her brother.

"Nii-san! How can you be so calm after seeing people fall out of a doorway that just _appeared_ out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly?" he asked angrily.

"Simple, Akiha. They don't seem to be a threat to us, and by the state of their clothes they seem to have been running from someone or something trying to harm them," he explained simply. "Am I close?" he asked the blond boy that was looking at him with surprise on his face.

Naruto nodded. "See?" Shiki asked, looking over at his sister's exasperated face.

Akiha glared over at the two with distrust plain on her face. "Who are you and how did you just appear in the middle of a forest like that?" she asked rudely.

Naruto had stood up and was helping Hinata to her feet by this time. He glanced at Akiha as he wrapped his left arm around Hinata's waist to help her stay on her feet. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and this is Hinata Hyuuga. How we got here is something I couldn't explain to you even if I wanted to, though I will say that your brother is right about us running from someone," Naruto said. "I'll also point out that where I come from, it's considered polite to give your own name first when asking someone else's."

Akiha blushed slightly at the rebuke and the lapse of her normal courteous demeanor. Shiki just laughed at his sister's discomfiture. "My name's Shiki Tohno and this is my lovely sister, Akiha Tohno," he said while still chuckling. "Though I have to admit that I'm just as curious as she is to know how you got here. People don't usually fall out of portals in front of us while we're following a fox around through the middle of a forest on a mountain."

At the word 'fox', Naruto stiffened slightly, fearing that the boy knew about the Kyuubi inside of him, but quickly realized that he wasn't referring to his tenant. "Following a fox?" he asked in confusion.

The fox in question decided to make another appearance at this point, jumping from behind the fallen tree to Naruto's shoulder. Naruto jumped slightly in surprise but calmed when he realized what had just perched itself on his head.

"Yes, that fox to be exact," Shiki said with a smile, not showing his surprise at how comfortable the fox and the blond were with each other.

Naruto laughed. That explained why they were here when Hinata and him had come out of the portal. The fox had probably sensed the Kyuubi and come to greet it. _Coincidence indeed_, he thought. The fox yipped and Naruto reached his hand up to scratch it between its ears.

Hinata looked up at him with amazement in her eyes. She had always loved watching foxes play around the training areas growing up, but seeing how Naruto played with one, especially now that she knew what was inside of him, made her love foxes (and Naruto) even more. Her legs started to give out slightly as fatigue from the fight finally started to overcome her body.

Naruto held her a bit tighter and looked down at her with concern. "Hinata-chan, are you alright?"

"H-hai, Naruto-kun. I'm just tired from our fight. I'm also completely out of chakra. I should be alright once we've rested for a bit," she responded.

Akiha spoke up next. "We're staying in my family's mansion a little ways off from here. You're welcome to rest there as long as you want," she said trying to make up for her earlier outburst.

Naruto nodded quickly; he worried that Hinata might have pushed herself too far during the fight. "We'd appreciate that Akiha-san. Let me just make sure we're not forgetting anything before we go," he said. Placing Hinata gently back on the ground, he reached his hand into his weapon pouch and pulled out a scroll. He quickly unfurled it to read the contents.

Shiki and Akiha looked at the scroll curiously, having never seen anything like it, and saw three symbols inside of circles on the paper.

Naruto simply nodded his head slightly at the three 'bag' symbols, surrounded by the circle of writing that described them, on the paper before rolling it back up and returning it to his pouch. He gently picked up a now blushing Hinata once again, this time bridal style, and said, "Okay then, lead the way you two."

"Right," they responded. They turned around and started to walk back towards the original path that would lead them back to the mansion. Shiki turned his head back to the boy that was following them and, after hesitating for a moment, decided to ask about the scroll. "What were those symbols written on that paper you pulled out?"

"Oh, those? Those were our backpacks that I sealed away at the beginning of that last fight so that we could fight without having to be burdened by our gear," he responded easily.

"'Sealed away'? You mean to tell me that you can seal physical objects onto paper in the form of ink?" Akiha asked, slightly curious at the prospect.

"Among other things," Naruto replied cryptically.

"Wait. Do you mean you can seal more than solid objects or do you mean you can seal solid objects in something other than paper?" she asked trying to get clarification.

Naruto merely shrugged and tilted his head in a manner that said 'take a guess'. Akiha huffed and pouted in frustration at not being able to get more information out of him. Shiki held back a laugh as he continued walking. Naruto was the first person other than himself that could get past his sister's cold exterior to that emotive little girl locked away inside.

If it wasn't for the fact that his sister was still holding out for Hisui and him to break off their relationship and the fact that it was glaringly obvious that Hinata and Naruto were a definite couple, he would be sorely tempted to try getting Akiha and Naruto together. He decided to just bide his time and see how this whole situation progressed.

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Their conversation continued on and off as they walked along the narrow path. Hinata had fallen asleep nuzzled up to Naruto's chest. As the forest started to thin out and the mansion came into view, the fox jumped off Naruto's head and took off into the forest with a yip of farewell. The group waved at the fox and walked out into the 'backyard' of the mansion.

"Whoa… this place is bigger than the Hyuuga main house back in Konoha! Hinata-chan's going to feel right at home here," Naruto exclaimed. Hinata opened her eyes at her name and took a quick look around to get her bearings. "Ah, you're awake Hinata-chan. Check out the Tohno digs! This place is awesome!"

Hinata agreed and thanked the two Tohno for their hospitality. "Please don't mention it Hyuuga-san, it's what anyone would do in this situation," Akiha told her with a smile. "Let's get you settled into your rooms. Dinner and tea will be in a few hours."

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Mountain Mansion

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"I'm home!" they called as they entered the front door of the mansion. The two maids greeted them bowing.

"Welcome home! Oh, who are our guests Shiki-san?" Nanaya asked.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga. They'll be staying with us for awhile as they recover from their injuries," Shiki explained. Nanaya disappeared into the kitchen quickly and returned with her medical box. "I figured putting Naruto into the room next to mine and Hinata in the room next to Akiha's, that way the wings will be even in their occupants."

"Uzumaki-san, if you wouldn't mind getting out your bags so that our maids can take them to your rooms?" Akiha asked, more eager to see how the sealing worked than she was about getting their bags to their rooms.

Naruto placed Hinata on her feet carefully before once again removing the scroll from his pouch and fully unfurling it. He quickly made a few hand signs, then placed his hand on the scroll and said, "Kai!"

With several poofs of smoke, two identical yellow bags appeared next to a smaller lavender bag.

Nanaya went nuts. "OMGOMGOMG! THATISSOCOOL! CANYOUSHOWMEHOWTODOTHAT?! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE?!"

Everyone present except for Hisui and Hinata broke down laughing at her antics. Hinata was giggling into her hands, trying to hold back a full belly laugh, and Hisui simply had a warm smile on her face. After Naruto had finally stopped the worst of his laughing, he looked into Nanaya's pleading eyes and answered her.

"I'd be happy to try teaching all of you the sealing technique in repayment for letting us stay here, but I'm afraid it may be impossible," he told them.

Nanaya's face fell. "Aaawwwwww… why wouldn't I be able to learn it?" she asked. Akiha silently agreed. She _really_ wanted to know how to seal things.

"Well, aside from the fact that I'm not a very good teacher, there's the problem of none of you being able to use chakra," he explained.

"Chakra… you said that word before while we were talking earlier. What is it?" Shiki asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess the best way to describe it is the mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy. When you mix it, it sort of feels like there's a warm fire inside your stomach."

"How do you know that we can't use chakra?" Akiha asked, slightly miffed that someone was saying she wasn't capable of doing something.

"It was actually more of an assumption on my part. However, there's actually an easy way to tell whether you can or not. Hinata?" he said, indicating the pale-eyed girl.

Everyone looked towards Hinata as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, they veins on the side of her eyes were raised, making her look rather fierce. "Byakugan!" she said quietly.

Hinata turned her head from side to side as she looked at everyone present. Naruto's chakra network shone like a beacon despite his fatigue, making it easy for her to pick him out no matter where he was around her. She turned her eyes to the two maids next to their bags and was surprised to see that they had chakra networks. They were unused, but the girls both had the potential to use chakra. "Your maids both have the ability to use chakra, but have never done so."

"Yatah!" Nanaya exclaimed. "Did you hear that, Hisui-chan? We can learn how to do that sealy thing!" she said excitedly.

Hisui was happy for her sister, and made it known. "I heard, Nee-san. I'm glad that you're so happy," she said with her smile firmly set on her face.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Naruto said chagrined. "What about the Siblings Tohno?"

Hinata turned her eyes towards Shiki and Akiha and gave out a small gasp. "Oh my! Akiha-san also has the potential to use chakra, but her network is badly damaged! Akiha-san, did you had poor health throughout your life?" she asked. Akiha looked surprised but indicated that, yes, she did have poor health until just recently. Akiha was impressed that the girl could tell by just looking at her.

What Akiha didn't know was that Hinata had seen the same kind of damage on her mother's chakra network when she was dying. After her sister Hanabi was born, her mother had fallen very ill for months before her body simply gave out under the stress. Akiha's network seemed to be healing itself, but Hinata decided she would help it along. She didn't want anyone else to lose their precious person if she could do something to help.

"I'll see if there's anything I can do to repair the damage to your system once I recover. It's the least I can do for allowing us to stay here," she stated. She then focused on Shiki. She looked up and down his body with a sad expression, and then stopped when she got to his head. "Your eyes… I can't see them," she said.

Her words surprised everyone present, but none more than Naruto and Shiki. Naruto had never heard of Hinata's eyes _not _being able to see something, so this was a first. Shiki was just blown that his glasses worked on whatever Hinata was doing. _She must have Mystic Eyes similar to mine,_ he thought.

"You don't have a chakra network, but I've very curious as to why I can't see your eyes at all," she said.

Shiki shrugged, then closed his eyes and removed his glasses from his face, causing another gasp to emit from the girl.

Hinata was blown away at the amount of power that was held in Shiki's eyes. They were as bright as Naruto's entire chakra system had been, making them look like two glaring orbs in his head.

Without opening his eyes, Shiki held out his glasses to the girl. "Before I explain about my eyes, put those on and tell me what you see."

She looked perplexed but followed his instructions, putting the glasses on her face. Naruto had to admit to himself that Hinata looked kind of hot with glasses. His tenant growled his agreement.

His train of thought was lost as she stiffened suddenly and ripped the glasses from her face, deactivating her bloodline at the same time. "Hinata! What happened? What did you see?" he asked in a panic.

"I couldn't see anything at all. My vision just went completely black," she said, obviously trying to calm herself. "What is with these glasses and your eyes?" she asked placing the glasses back in his outstretched hand.

"I'll explain after dinner. I know you both need medical attention and rest right now, so Nanaya-san will take care of you before we eat, okay?" he said as he put his glasses back on and opened his eyes. "Hisui, would you please take Naruto's bags to the room next to mine?"

"Yes, Shiki-sama. Right away."

"Here, I'll grab one so it'll be easier for you," Naruto said as he picked up the heavier of the two bags.

Akiha looked at Nanaya and said, "Nanaya, please take Hyuuga-san's bag to the room next to my own and tend to her wounds before checking on Uzumaki-san's injuries."

"Hai, Akiha-sama!" the girl exclaimed, walking over to pick up the bag so Naruto could roll up the scroll once again.

Being used to such treatment at her own home, she simply nodded her head and followed Nanaya as she walked down the east wing of the house. Naruto followed Hisui down the west wing, leaving Akiha and Shiki standing in the foyer.

"Looks like we've made some interesting friends, eh Akiha?"

"Indeed. I'm excited that I might have the chance to learn that sealing technique from Uzumaki-san, but I'm surprised to find someone else with Mystic Eyes like you. I plan on asking her about them after dinner. I also plan on asking Uzumaki-san about his powers as well."

"What do you mean? Aside from those whisker-like scars on his cheeks, he seemed like the most normal of all of us."

"He gives off the same aura that I do whenever I use my own powers. Exactly the same aura…"

"Now that _is_ interesting. I have a feeling that things are going to get weirder before they get less so. See you at dinner, Akiha," he said with a smile, turning to walk towards his room in the west wing.

"See you at dinner, Nii-san."

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Author's Notes

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I kept this one short because I didn't want to start another chapter like the last one, only to have to stop halfway because of packing my stuff. I'll probably release small updates to this story as I make time throughout the next few weeks. Once I get settled in Africa, I'll update as often as possible until the story is complete. Also, even though I'd love to get lots of reviews, I promise that I will never abandon any story I start, _dattebayo!_ So you'll never have to worry about this story going dead unless you all express a pointed disinterest in it.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	5. Everyone Has Secrets

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Chapter 5 is done! _Yatah_! I decided that with this chapter, I was going to do a little experiment and see how a certain character works out in the story. I've already used this character in the story but because of the alternate world deal, I'm able to enjoy the reuse of characters. If, after a few chapters, I don't think my character is helping the story along enough, I'll drop him and rewrite the chapters. I'll be basing my opinion not only on how I feel, but what you all think about the character as readers. Remember that if you have any questions about my story, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer it without giving away what I'm going to do with the story. Now, onwards to the story!

Enjoy!

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Tokyo International Airport – 3 weeks prior

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Tokyo International Airport was busy at all hours of the day, but the lunch rush is the lunch rush no matter what country you were in. At least that's what 19 year old Ryan Rito thought as he stepped through the gate off of his plane from America. He sidestepped to the right as he heard the main body of the high school class that had been on the plane come up behind him. He rolled his eyes at them as they rushed past trying to get to the baggage carousel before anyone else.

He took a moment to look around and get used to his new surroundings. The rush of an International Airport looked the same no matter where you were, the only difference being the racial ratio of the crowd. After getting used to how the crowds were moving, he casually stepped into the crowd going towards the baggage carousels and immediately blended in despite his height and skin color. After years of living on the streets and surviving by any means necessary, he had learned how to blend into any crowd in a split second.

Being 6'3" with white skin, dark brown hair, and hunter green eyes, you would think that the person would usually be easy to spot, but crowds like this were where he made his living in his youth. His mind automatically processing the visual data his eyes sent it. Women with huge open purses were highlighted in his mind like there was orange flashing light above their heads while business men that were smart enough to put their wallets in their front pants pocket instead of a back or jacket pocket had a giant 'X' over them. For now, he simply ignored his reflexive response to reach out and pickpocket the people he passed.

His Japanese was very much 'school' Japanese, but he figured that once he spent a few months in Japan, people wouldn't peg him as a _gai-jin_ right off the bat. He waited patiently for his baggage, and then went into a bathroom stall to 'outfit' himself for the trip into the city. Once his gear was equipped, he caught a bus into Tokyo outside the terminal.

After his early teen years, Rito decided that being uneducated was for the birds and spent the majority of his time in the public libraries teaching himself the skills he thought he would need in the future. When he turned 18, he opened his own courier business in a small town outside of the city where he grew up. It was the funds from that business that kept him in the green and enabled him to take this trip.

Even after all the illegal things he had done in his youth to survive, he never tolerated things that went against his code of honor. He had killed men in the process of trying to kidnap or rape women many times, never once getting caught or turned in. The police never found the bodies and the women didn't want their savior to go to jail for vigilantism, so he stayed in the clear from the law. He occasionally got thank you cards from some of them.

So when he noticed a young lady being groped by an older man on the bus, his expression turned cold. He quickly made his way through the crowded bus over to the two. The man never even noticed Rito until his wrist was in Rito's vice-like grip. He looked up at him with fear in his eyes. Rito very slowly bent down to whisper in the man's ear before saying, "I believe the young lady doesn't appreciate your advances. You need to go elsewhere before you lose the use of your arm." After tightening his grip sharply, he released the man.

The pervert quickly made his way to the back of the bus and Rito turned to the girl who was looking up at him in awe and gratitude.

"_Arigato gozaimasu_," the girl said with a slight bow.

"_Do itashi mashite_. It was nothing. Would you like me to stand back to back with you so it doesn't happen again?" Rito asked.

The girl's eyes widened at his offer, and then her expression brightened. "_Hai_!"

Rito smiled then positioned himself behind the girl and turned his glare to the men that were behind her, many of which sent him dirty expressions. He even heard one of them mutter '_gai-jin_' under his breath. He simply looked at the man and flipped him the bird with a smile before settling in for the rest of the 30 minute trip.

After 20 minutes of fighting off the perverts with glares, the girl leaned against his back slightly and turned to the side a bit. "Ano, I wanted to thank you for standing up for me earlier. I was wondering if you would let me treat you to lunch at the Anne Miller's by my house as thanks?" she asked, earning Rito even more dirty looks from the perverts.

Rito didn't have anywhere in particular that he needed to be. He didn't even have a hotel. He had planned on just wandering around the city for a few hours before catching another bus out to the countryside to visit tourist towns. Now that he had been offered a lunch date, he thought that those plans just might have to be put on hold. Anne Miller's was Japan's version of a Denny's and IHOP, and Rito did _love_ his pancakes.

"Sure, I'd like that. However, I'm only allowing you to pay for my first entrée. I eat a lot," he said with a grin over his shoulder. _This is going to be an interesting trip_, he thought to himself.

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Mountain Mansion – Present day

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After Hisui had placed his bag down on the bed, she bowed and asked, "Is there anything else you need Naruto-sama?"

Naruto winced at the '-sama' added to the end of his name. He had never stood on formality before, so it was weird hearing it. "Ano, would you mind just calling me 'Naruto'? I'm not big on formalities, so could you pass that along to the other maid … uh… hmm? You know, I never did ask you what your name was."

"My name is Hisui, Naruto-sama. Though I will be your personal maid during your stay here, my Master is Shiki-sama, and his needs will take priority over whatever I am doing. I will pass along your request to my Nee-san, Nanaya. If that is all?" she said bowing, leaving Naruto to get himself settled. He sighed and just decided that he'd have to get used to the formality from the serious maid.

Naruto looked around and admired the 'small' guest room. The room had more space than his entire apartment. Naruto simply shook his head and opened up the bag with all his mission gear. He pulled out his spare clothes and put them into the dresser next to the large bed. He then took out some spare weapons and secreted them around the room in case the need arose. Finally after emptying his mission bag of everything except for some scrolls and instant ramen, he turned his attention to the second bag that Hinata had packed for him.

He briefly wondered why she had packed a second bag, but decided to put that thought aside for the time being. No doubt he'd figure it out when he opened it up. The first thing he saw when he opened the bag was what looked like his entire cabinet of ramen from his apartment. He smiled as he tossed all the ramen on the bed and continued to search the bag. There was a lot of ramen. He was almost to the bottom of the bag when he ran into a layer of clothing.

He pulled it out to reveal the one set of non-mission clothes he owned. Sakura and Ino had made him buy it when they found out that he was dating Hinata, then burned his orange jumpsuit in the street immediately after with fire jutsu. He placed them on the bed next to the pile of ramen and looked inside the bag once more. The last two items made him pause and start to tear up. He reached in and pulled out the urn with the ashes of his jumpsuit with one hand and the goggles he had received on his eighth birthday with the other.

He walked over to the dresser once again and placed the urn on top of it, then stood there looking down at the goggles in his hands. _Why would Hinata-chan grab my goggles?_ he thought to himself.

After a few minutes of standing there, he decided he would bring it up to Hinata when he got the chance and placed the goggles next to urn before turning back to the bed. He double checked the second bag to ensure that there was nothing else inside before packing all the ramen back inside the first bag and rolling up the second bag and stuffing it inside as well.

He then sealed the bag back inside the scroll. Naruto looked at the two other seal circles and decided to leave them as they were in case they needed to seal the bags again before putting the scroll away again.

He took off his shirt and held it out in front of him to see the extent of the damage. It looked like someone had used it for target practice. He sighed in regret at the loss and tossed it over his shoulder on to the chair next to the desk. He then walked over to the window and looked outside at the tree line to see if he could spot another fox. He could feel the Kyuubi settle in the back of his mind as he too took the time to relax. He stood there for what felt like hours just watching outside and worrying about Hinata's condition.

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In the other wing, Nanaya had let Hinata undress herself and told her to lie on the bed so she could be examined. After Hinata reassured the maid that she had spare clothes, Nanaya tossed the shredded clothes over the chair to be disposed of later. Forty minutes later, Nanaya had Hinata all bandaged up and clothed in her spare non-mission clothes; a simple black t-shirt and another pair of her calf-length pants.

Wiping her brow of sweat, Nanaya looked at the girl in exasperation and shook her head at the prospect of the task ahead of her. "I can't believe you got that cut up and were still managing to stay on your feet! Naruto-san looked in even worse condition than you and he acted like he still had plenty of energy! I'd better get the spare supplies before I go take a look at his injuries."

Hinata couldn't help the giggle that emitted from her. When Nanaya looked at her perplexed, Hinata told her why she was laughing. "Naruto-kun heals _very_ fast, Nanaya-san. I wouldn't be surprised that all his wounds were mostly healed by the time you went to his room."

Nanaya raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "If you say so, then I'll just go check on him quickly before making dinner. Please stay in bed and rest until Hisui-chan or I come and get you for dinner."

Hinata nodded her head in agreement. "Hai. I'll just go lie down then," she said, suiting actions to words.

Nanaya left with her medical gear and Hinata's clothes and walked to the other side of the house, expecting to see Naruto resting in bed. She knocked on his door and called out, "Naruto-san, may I come in?"

She heard him reply in the affirmative and opened the door to see him staring out of the window without a shirt on. Looking at his back she could see where the injuries she noticed earlier were already almost completely healed up. "Well, well, it looks like Hinata-chan was right about you healing fast, Naruto-san."

Naruto turned to her and smiled. "I see that Hisui-san passes along my request to you, Nanaya-san. Yeah, I've always healed quickly. It's just how I am. Since I don't need any medical attention, would you mind telling me what I can do with my ruined clothes? I didn't want to just throw them anywhere."

Nanaya walked over to where his shirt was thrown over the chair and added it to Hinata's clothes over her arm. She then looked back over at Naruto.

"I'll take them and see what I can do, but by the looks of it your clothes are a dead loss. You have spare clothes, right?" Naruto nodded. "Okay, then I'll turn around and you change your pants so I can take care of the ruined ones."

Naruto blushed slightly as she turned her back to him. He sighed and took off his pants so he could put on his jeans that were lying on the bed. He couldn't stand the silence, so he broke it.

"Ano, how is Hinata-chan doing? She's not hurt badly is she?"

Nanaya giggled at his use of '-chan' at the end of the girl's name before replying.

"She's fine Naruto-san. She's resting in her bed right now until dinner. Dinner should be ready in a few hours. I plan to make a larger dinner for you two since I never get the chance to cook for guests, so this is a special occasion. Is there anything you want me to make?"

Naruto's mouth moved to form the word 'ramen' without thinking before he stopped himself, his face forming a frown instead.

"Yes, but I'll save that request for another time. I don't want to presume too much on the first day. I'll be happy with whatever you make," he said with another smile. By this time he had changed into his pants and even put on his shirt and _hiate-ate_ before secreting weapons on his person. "Okay, it's safe to turn around now," he said, holding out his torn shorts.

She turned to him again and took his shorts. She appraised his new look and nodded in approval. "It looks good on you. I'll hang up your jacket for you by the front door if you're not going to wear it. Now, I think that Hinata-chan wouldn't mind a little company until dinner," she said with a smile, turning towards the door. "Either Hisui-chan or myself will come get you when dinner is ready. _Ja-ne!_"

After she left, Naruto decided that checking up on Hinata was probably a good idea. Even though he knew that she was alright, he was still worried about her.

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Hinata was lying in the bed looking up at the ceiling while lost in her thoughts. They drifted from memories of her days at the Academy with Naruto and the rest of the Konoha 9 to her first 'date' with Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen. Those were memories that were some of the happiest times in her life.

However by letting her mind wander to her past, she allowed her brain to process more recent, less pleasant memories. Flashes of the battle in Konoha and Sound ninja slaughtering rookie genin teams before anyone could help raced through her mind. The mad rush through the caves behind the Hokage Monument to the relative safety of point Omega and finally the last battle she had engaged in with Naruto and the other defenders of point Omega against the traitorous Root and their leader, Danzo.

She worried about her family, her friends, and her fellow villagers. _Otou-san… Neji-niisan… Hanabi-chan… Kiba-kun… Shino-kun… everyone… please be alive when we get back…_

She never noticed the tears falling down her face as she relived those memories in her head, nor did she notice the knocking at her door along with the voice of the one she loved calling her name on the other side.

Naruto put his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything and was startled to hear Hinata sobbing. His body moved before he knew what he was doing. He threw the door open and was sitting on the bed with Hinata held in his arms in a flash. "Shhh… it's okay now, Hinata-chan. We're safe now. It's okay," he repeated over and over until she had cried herself out and fallen asleep.

Unnoticed by either teen, Nanaya had closed the door to the room to give them some privacy.

Naruto lay down next to her and settled her against his chest. This was all he could do for her now; hold her and try to comfort her as best he could. He'd do his own crying later. He needed to be strong for her right now. He fell asleep next to her with those thoughts.

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"Well, how are they?" Shiki asked Nanaya as she entered the sitting room where the other three occupants of the house were sitting. She had dumped the destroyed clothes into the garbage bin on her way back from closing Hinata's door. She plopped down on a chair with a sad smile before answering.

"Naruto-san is almost completely healed of his injuries while Hinata-san will require at least another day of rest before strenuous activity. Both seem to have psychological damage, but Naruto-san seems to be dealing with his demons better than Hinata-san. I just left them as Naruto-san was trying to calm her from her breakdown. I don't think they noticed me closing the door," she reported.

"Almost completely healed? Uzumaki-san's clothing was more torn up than Hyuuga-san's and you're saying that _she _needs to stay in bed while he's up and about? Okay, now I know something is weird about him," Akiha commented with conviction in her voice.

"I believe that they also suspect that we are not all that we appear to be. They may not be willing to tell us everything about themselves in the current situation," Hisui noted from the couch.

"I agree. I think it would be best for everyone if we just came clean and explained about our powers before some misunderstanding arises later. Even if we don't, I'm pretty sure that girl can tell if we're lying to them or not. There was something about her when she looked at me that made me feel like I wasn't able to hide anything from her," Shiki said looking pointedly at Hisui and Akiha, telling them to leave out the parts about Nanaya's real past, before giving a softer look at Nanaya.

"This is a family decision. What do you all say?" Akiha asked in her most Clan Head voice.

"I think that if they're going to trust us, especially while teaching us that sealy technique, we need to tell them about us. Not that I have much to tell since I don't remember my past," Nanaya said with a smile. "I vote 'yea'."

"Hisui?" Akiha asked, looking over at the maid.

"Hai, Akiha-sama. I agree with Nee-san. However when we decide to tell them, we must ask them to be willing to tell us about themselves as well," Hisui said. "I vote 'yea' as well."

"Nii-san?" she asked, knowing full well what her brother would vote.

"I vote 'yea'. The fact of the matter is that we're both keeping secrets from each other. That needs to end. I believe a demonstration of Akiha and my abilities would serve to break the ice. At that point, they will more than likely be willing to return the favor," Shiki opined looking at his sister.

"As Clan Head, my vote counts as my own and as a tie-breaker. However the latter privilege will be unnecessary not only because of the three 'yea's', but also because I agree. I vote 'yea'. For some reason, I feel I can trust our family's secrets to them. Also, the feeling I get from Uzumaki-san is too similar to the aura I give off while using my powers to be coincidence. He may be able to shed some light on our family 'curse'," Akiha declared firmly. "Then by a unanimous decision, we will tell our family secrets to Uzumaki-san and Hyuuga-san as long as they are willing to tell us about themselves to the same extent, agreed?"

"Hai," three voices said in unison.

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Author's Notes

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You guys are lucky that I'm on a roll with this story. I found some time and inspiration to crank out this chapter at lunch today. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to kick out another chapter by tomorrow! No promises, but we'll see how everything goes.

Let me know what you all think about the concept of 'Rito'.

I'll go ahead and answer a couple of questions about 'Rito' I expect to come up:

**Yes: the character 'Ryan Rito' is based off of myself. I know this can be lame at times, but I'm not going to refer to 'my' character in the first person at any time, so that should reduce the lameness.**

**No: though his personality, values, and some skills may be based on my own, I have never killed, stolen, or otherwise committed any criminal act in any city, state, or country.**

**No: I do not plan to give my character a romantic interest at this time. However, just like my policy on killing off characters, I won't hesitate to pair up characters in the interest of the story. (The Shika/Ino pair in this story is a good example. I'm an avid Shika/Tem fan, but for Mystic Eyes I chose to go the other way for the sake of the story.)**

**Yes: if the need arises, I will kill off 'Rito' again or remove him from the story (from this chapter forward) in a rewrite.**

If you have any other questions about the characters or story, feel free to leave a review with your question. I'll be sure to respond to you as soon as I can get to it. Either I'll reply directly or I'll tack an answer to one of my Author's Notes sections.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	6. Recovering from Wounds

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Chapter 6 is here! I'd like to thank those of you who have left me reviews so far. I'm glad that my story was interesting enough that you felt it deserved a comment. ^_^ This will be the last chapter I can chug out before I go to Africa, so your continued support is greatly appreciated. I'm going to kick around the Rito Arc for the better part of the next couple of chapters before joining the storylines again; so if you have any input, the next two or three chapters are your chance to have a real impact on the story. I apologize for the length of time it took me to get this one out!

Enjoy!

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Shinjuku – 2 weeks prior

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Rito opened his eyes to see the sunlight glaring through the window in his rented room. The girl he had helped on the bus had insisted that he stay in her spare room when he told her that he didn't have a hotel reserved. He didn't mention that his original plan was to leave Tokyo that same day to do the whole tourist bit. He figured he might as well see the sights in Tokyo before heading out to parts unknown.

Besides, his hostess was top notch. Sayuri-san had wanted to let him stay free of charge, but he insisted on paying her for the room. He also gave her self defense training so that she could take care of the perverts herself. In turn, she had been helping him with his Japanese. They both considered it a win-win. Rito glanced over at the clock in his room to see bright red digital numbers telling him it was 9:08 AM.

Knowing that Sayuri-san was already at school, he went to take a shower and change. He took his time, but didn't waste the water since he didn't want to rack up her bill. After he had changed, he once again equipped himself with his tools before throwing on his trench coat to keep warm. The coat also covered his arm guards nicely. Sayuri-san had asked him why he always wore his gear even if he was just going down to the corner store. His response was, "I'd rather have my gear and not need it than _not_ have my gear and need it."

His 'gear' included his arm guards, a leg holster with three throwing knives, a hunting knife hidden on the inside of his left boot, and his lock picking set. While in America, he would always carry his Springfield Armory XD45 (a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun) in the small of his back, but here in Japan they were death on firearms (especially concealed firearms).

He locked the door to her apartment with the spare key she had given him and made his way to street level. On the sidewalk, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an ear bud that was connected to his MP3 player, placing it into right ear and hitting the play button. As the music blared from the ear bud, he let his thoughts wander while he walked down the crowded sidewalk to the bus stop.

He knew that Sayuri-san liked him. It was kind of obvious after she had treated him to brunch at Anne Miller's. She had been making eyes at him throughout the entire meal, totally oblivious to the leering from the _otaku_ that regularly inhabited the restaurant. For his part Rito was happy to make a new friend in a new city, but he didn't want a romantic relationship right now, and had let her know this while discussing the terms to his rental. He wasn't ready to let himself care for another person just yet.

A book store caught his eye as he passed by, and he decided to be spontaneous and take a look inside. He walked into the small shop and was hit by the musty scent of old books. It was comforting to him since he had spent many a day in the archives of a library. He browsed the shop for several minutes and finally decided to pick up a worn copy of a Japanese-English Dictionary. After handing the shop keeper the money and leaving the change as a tip, he walked to the door only to have his eye be caught once again.

Looking to the left of the doorway was a stand of brochures that had old tourist pamphlets stacked neatly inside. He let his eyes make a cursory scan before they fell on a pamphlet that looked several years old. It depicted a lively town with fox memorabilia and decorations everywhere with a forest covered mountain in the background. By the looks of it, they were having some kind of festival.

Rito picked up the brochure and opened it up.

**Come join in celebrating the Festival of the Fox!**

**Enjoy food, games, and live shows from local entertainers!**

**Music will be playing non-stop in the Dance Square throughout the festival, so bring your family and friends out to enjoy the festivities!**

**Fireworks displays will be held every night of the Festival!**

**The Festival of the Fox is held every year during the last week of September!**

**Paid for by Kitsune Village Treasury**

Looking up, he turned to the shop keeper.

"Jii-jii, does this village still hold the Fox Festival?" he asked.

"Yes they do _bozu_. I went to it last year, though it has become less popular in recent years due to the foxes keeping their distance from the town during the festival," the old man answered.

"_Arigato. Ja,_" he said as he stuffed the brochure and the book he had bought in his inside coat pocket and walked outside.

He saw the bus just pulling away from the bus stop. He shrugged mentally and decided to just walk around the area a bit. He walked aimlessly through town for a few hours; passing by the Anne Miller's that he had eaten at with Sayuri and the train station. He took a right onto a street that went uphill and noticed a rather large building further up the road.

As he approached, he realized that the building was a school. He could see students running on the track and playing soccer and dodge ball for their PE hour. He continued towards the school and changed the song on his MP3 player to something rock. As he approached the gate of the school he heard someone yell, "OI! MATTE!"

He stopped and turned his head towards the voice. Running towards him from the track was Sayuri wearing her short gym shorts and tight gym shirt. He averted his gaze slightly and concentrated on keeping his eyes on her face. "Ryan-kun! What are you doing by my school?" she asked slightly out of breath once she had gotten to the gate. "Come to profess your undying love for me in front of all my classmates?" she teased with grin and a wink.

Leave it to an under-aged hotty in a school uniform, flirting with him no less, to send his mind down the gutter. "Um…" he said, falling back into English in his anxiety. "I missed the bus by your house, so I decided to just walk around for a few hours and kill some time," he said, once more speaking Japanese as he got back into his normal frame of mind. "I didn't realize this was where you went to school. I never thought my dear 'Landlady-san' would go to such a normal looking high school while wearing such a revealing outfit," he teased her back, keeping his eyes on hers.

Sayuri blushed slightly knowing that he had checked her out, even briefly, but then hardened her expression and punched him in the arm through the gate.

"Ow!" he said, not the least bit hurt.

"That was for calling me 'Landlady-san' again! I told you, just call me Sayuri," she said with a serious expression.

"Hai, hai, I don't know _how _I forgot," he said sarcastically.

A whistle blew from the track and Sayuri spun around to see everyone start to head to the locker rooms. She turned again to Rito and grimaced slightly before her face brightened suddenly.

"Ne, Ryan-kun! Saturday is a half-day, so we get off in an hour and a half. Do you want to meet me back here and we can walk home together?" she asked excitedly.

Rito feigned thinking hard about it before smiling at her sticking out her tounge at him and replying, "Sure. I'll be back at noon, then. Enjoy the rest of your day. Oh and be sure to tell your girl friends, whom we both know saw you come over here, that I'm _not_ your boyfriend, just your tenant," he said with a grin.

Sayuri smiled back impishly. "Or maybe I won't tell them anything and let them come up with their own ideas? Yeah, that sounds like a lot more fun!" she exclaimed with a giggle. She took off at a jog back towards the school, turning her torso to the side to wave goodbye. "_Ja-ne, _Ryan-kun!"

He saw a group of girls waiting for her by the girls' locker room, and he knew they would probably pin down his landlord and interrogate her given the chance. "Oh well, it's her own fault. Hope she makes it out alive though; it's her turn to make dinner tonight."

He sat on a bench next to the gate, planning to simply wait for the next hour and a half, and turned up his MP3 player as it changed to one of his favorites. He closed his eyes and started to hum softly. Though he loved the whole song, the only part he ever sang aloud, the only part that meant something to him, was the last three verses of the song:

"_And in our Dying_

_We're more alive than we have ever been_

_I've lived for these few seconds_

_For I am Winter Born_

_And in the fury of this darkest hour_

_We will be the light_

_You've asked me for my sacrifice_

_And I am Winter Born_

_Without denying, a faith in man_

_That I have never known_

_I hear the angels call my name_

_And I am Winter Born_

_Within this moment_

_I am for you,_

_Though better men have failed_

_I will give my life for love_

_For I am Winter Born"_

As the song changed to a song on his J-pop playlist, he leaned his head against the wall behind him and stared up at the clouds. _I wonder if I'll ever be able to move past what happened_, he thought while idly fingering his chest above his scar. No one besides his doctor had ever seen the wound, and he never told anybody the events leading to him getting the scar. He tried to not even think about it if he could.

_That's what this trip was supposed to do. Help me try to put it in my past and move on with my life. I can only act Emo for so long before it just becomes pathetic_, he thought darkly. He sighed softly, then decided to put it in the back of his mind and just enjoy the city passing him by as he listened to his music.

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Mountain Mansion – Present day

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Hinata awoke feeling warm and opened her eyes to see that she had fallen asleep in Naruto's arms while crying. She did her best not to wake him as she glanced up at his sleeping face. She could only see its outline and a few features in the moonlight coming in from the window. _Moonlight? It was around noon when I laid down! Why didn't someone wake us up?_ she thought in a panic. She shifted her body slightly and hissed softly as she felt sharp pains from her wounds as several reopened.

Naruto's eyes came open at the noise and he was sitting up with her gently in his arms. "Are you okay, Hinata-chan?" he asked in a worried tone.

"_Hai_, Naruto-kun… my body's just sore from the fight. I also think a few of my wounds reopened when I moved my body," she said quietly.

A knock at the door startled them both. "Come in," Naruto called out.

Nanaya came in holding her medical kit once again. "Ah, good. You're both awake," she said with a smile, walking over to the desk to turn on the light. "Naruto-san, would you mind going to the dining room until I finish changing Hinata-san's bandages? You're dinner is on the table. Shiki-san and Akiha-sama are having their tea there as well."

Naruto nodded and kissed Hinata gently on her forehead before getting up and leaving the room.

Both girls smiled as he left. "So how long have you two been together?" Nanaya asked the blushing girl on the bed.

"Eto, we've only been a couple for a few weeks, but I've admired him since before we were both in the Academy 5 years ago," Hinata said meekly.

"Well if you ask me, I think you two are a great couple. I believe you'll both be happy for many years to come," she said smiling. "Now let's get those bandages changed so you can go eat with Naruto-san."

Hinata nodded and removed her shirt so Nanaya could take care of her wounds.

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After a short search, Naruto found the dining room by following the smell of food and the sound of voices. There was a large table in the center of the room and Shiki and Akiha were sitting across the table from each other talking idly about school and their friends. They both noticed his arrival and smiled at him, motioning for him to sit by the plate next to Shiki. "_Konbanwa,_ Naruto-san. We figured you might need more rest than usual to recover from your injuries, so we told Nanaya to let you sleep yourself out," Shiki explained. "Your meals should still be hot since Nanaya put yours out only a few minutes before coming to get you."

"How long were we out for?" Naruto asked as he looked over at the clock.

"Almost six hours. We were beginning to wonder if you would wake up at all tonight, Uzumaki-san," Akiha said with a small grin at being able to get a verbal barb in on their guest.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked down at the floor as his faced reddened in embarrassment. "Yeah… sorry about that."

"Sorry about what?" a small voice asked from behind Naruto.

The blond spun on his heels and saw Hinata standing in the doorway with her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Nothing of any importance," Shiki said with a smile. "Your dinner is already prepared, so dig in!" he said, motioning to the meals set out on the table.

The two guests turned their attention to the table and both started to tear up at what was there. On Akiha's side of the table was a plate of cinnamon buns with a couple of rice balls on the side with a cup of tea. On Shiki's side was a _very_ large bowl of miso ramen that was also accompanied by rice balls and tea. Shiki and Akiha both shared a good laugh at their guests' matching expressions.

"H-how did you know?" HInata asked as she walked towards her chair. Naruto had already bolted to his chair.

"Well, Hisui noticed the large amount of instant ramen in Naruto-san's bag when she helped him earlier…"

"… and Nanaya heard you mumbling about cinnamon buns in your sleep, Hyuuga-san."

The two didn't even respond because they had already given their thanks and started to inhale their favorite foods in the world.

Once they had finished and started in on their teas, Shiki gave them a serious expression before speaking. "Okay you two… I think it's obvious to all present that every one of us is hiding something about ourselves, or at least have abilities that fall outside the realm of 'normal' for most people. I know that we all probably have good reasons for keeping these things to ourselves, but our family…" he said using his hand to indicate his sister and the two maids who were now standing by the doorway, "…believes that if we're to trust one another, we shouldn't have any secrets between us. We're willing to reveal our secrets first if you're agreeable to our proposal. We already have our demonstrations set up in the back yard."

Naruto looked at Hinata from across the table with concern in his eyes. Hinata simply smiled at him and nodded her head. Naruto hesitated for a moment, and then hardened his expression before looking at Shiki and Akiha.

"That's fine, but I think that I'll start with my secret first," he said with a slight frown.

"**Kit, are you sure about this?"** the Kyuubi asked with concern in his voice.

"_I'm sure, Kyuubi. If they freak out about it, Hinata-chan and I'll just have to camp out in the mountains until we recuperate,"_ he replied.

"**So what'll it be? Mini-Kyuubi or Kyuubi Clone?"**

"_I think Mini-Kyuubi, then a henge to Kyuubi Clone for impact,"_ he said with an inward wry grin.

The conversation with the fox had taken an instant. Hinata gave him an encouraging smile and turned her attention to their benefactors to watch how they reacted.

"Akiha-san, you asked me earlier about the sealing technique. About what could be sealed and what those things could be sealed into, right?"

Akiha hadn't expected to have her question answered so soon, especially after the Hyuuga girl had told her that she wouldn't be able to learn it until she healed her 'chakra network'. "That's right. How does that relate to your secret though?" she asked curiously.

He looked her directly in her eyes as he fed a small bit of the Kyuubi's chakra into his. He saw her expression change from one of curiosity to one of surprise as his eyes changed from cerulean to crimson. "Akiha-san, it has _everything_ to do with my secret."

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Author's Notes

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I'd like to apologize once again for how long it took me to write this chapter and at how short the Naruto/Tsukihime Arc was, but I got caught up with packing and never got a chance to finish until now. Since I haven't gotten any input from the last chapter on my OC, Rito, I'll just assume that no one has a problem with him and keep on going with it. I'm going to keep a lot of his past in the dark from the reader, but will give slight hints of the life he's led throughout the story. And if you've been wondering what kind of fighting style he uses (because you _know_ that he knows how to use all those weapons he carries around), next chapter will reveal the reasons behind the trench coat and baggy clothes.

I'd also like to thank Crüxshadows for their outstanding song, _Winter Born_, and also for them not suing me for using their lyrics to help add some mystery to my OC. ^_^

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	7. Looking to the Past

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Welcome to Chapter 7! The very first chapter to be written in Africa! (applause! applause!) In celebration, I've written an extra long chapter that gives a whole lot of the back story for all three arcs. I'm starting to wrap up the back story parts of this story, so if you're going to give some feedback about my OC, now is the time to do so. After next chapter, I'm either going to just roll with the story as is, or leave him on the cutting room floor (so to speak) based on my own opinion. I So without further ado, I bring you Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within: Chapter 7.

Enjoy!

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Shinjuku – 2 weeks prior

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Sayuri looked up at the giant of an American walking next to her with curiosity. While walking home from her school together the day before, Ryan had asked her if she knew of any martial arts dojo in the area around her apartment. She had told him that there was one a few blocks away, but asked to know the reason why he wanted to know. His reply had been, "I want to test my style against other styles while I'm traveling."

Sayuri had never seen him fight, but knew that he was strong simply by how he carried himself and by how he had dealt with that groper the first time they met. Even while always wearing that long trench coat of his, he didn't walk like a normal person would; he _stalked_. His gait reminded her of some of the nature shows she had watched on TV about jaguar and tigers. Also, his eyes were always tracking from side to side as he walked down the street. If she hadn't known that he was a kind person at heart, she would have been terrified of him.

"_Ne,_ Ryan-kun... What fighting style do you use? I've never seen you actually fight before, and I didn't think you would spar with me if I asked because you would be afraid of hurting me."

"Well... It's hard to explain Sayuri-san. Mainly, my style focuses on debilitating my opponents as quickly as possible. I know that sounds like most other martial arts out there, but my style focuses on attacking joints with maximum force applied to the strikes," he said while continuing to scan the crowds.

"You're right, that does sound like most styles of martial arts... Is there any better way to explain it?"

"No, not really... I guess it'll make more sense once you see it. By the way, what style of fighting do they practice at this dojo we're going to?"

"Oh, just karate. Why?"

"No reason. I was just curious about what I'd be up against. Is this the place here?" he asked turning to the building they were about to pass.

"Oh! Yes this is the place. Let's go in."

Inside, Rito removed his boots and weapons before stepping inside the main dojo to find the master. In the training area was a class of beginners learning katas from a senior member of the dojo, while the intermediate and expert students were off to the side either watching or meditating. Rito couldn't be sure of who the master was just by looking, but figured he was the older looking man sitting directly behind the beginners while simultaneously watching them and talking to the slightly younger man next to him.

A young intermediate student spotted the two of them by the door and came to greet them. "_Konnichiwa._ Welcome to the Hatake Dojo. How might I help you today?"

"My name is Ryan Rito, and I'd like to test my style against the style of this dojo in a full contact match. No weapons, though I do wear wooden wrist guards for your protection, and I'd prefer to fight against one or more senior members or the master to avoid seriously injuring anyone," Rito declared loudly so that everyone in the dojo could hear.

The younger man that Rito had pegged as a senior student stood from behind the beginners and walked toward them. The class in progress had dispersed towards the walls as soon as the man stood up. The man stopped 10 feet away and addressed Rito. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I am the master and founder of this dojo. I must warn you that my style of karate is unique, though the unique parts aren't taught until the advanced classes," he said with a slight grin. "If I might ask, why is it for _our_ protection that you wear wrist guards?"

Rito smiled back as all eyes turned back to him. "Because my wrists would hurt you more than wood will. Trust me."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but nodded his head. "As master of this dojo, I accept your challenge and your terms. You did say more than one opponent, correct? How many do you think you could handle?"

"As many as you want. Honestly, I've taken on six before and came out unscathed, but feel free to test my limits. That's the main reason I made this challenge. Also, if I best your students, I'd like to fight you, though I do not want to take your sign if I win," he said, still smiling.

"That's fine with me. Would you like to put on a _gi _before we start?"

"This is my _gi_," he said indicating his trench coat.

"Very well. Starting positions?"

"I'll stand there and your students can start from wherever they want to. We'll begin at your command."

Rito walked out to the center of the dojo and waited there in a relaxed stance. Kakashi noticed his walk and stance and reevaluated his original opinion of the man. He was definitely an opponent worthy of respect. He pointed at his 6 most senior students and told them to position themselves as they saw fit.

When everyone was in position, Sayuri went to sit along the wall to watch the match. Kakashi went and sat next to her. "So, out of curiosity, what is his style like?" he asked her.

Sayuri was surprised to be addressed by him, but didn't hesitate in her answer. "I don't know. I've never seen him fight or practice before. It looks like this will be an enlightening experience for everyone here."

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Rito was more than ready. This was his element. He hadn't had a good fight in years and he was planning on enjoying this one as much as possible. Six highly trained fighters with him in the most disadvantageous position? Absolute heaven!

"Remember, full contact everyone. I'll pay for any hospital bills. Come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise this will be over too quickly," he said with excitement in his eyes and voice.

"Begin!" Kakashi said, starting the match.

Rito sensed the roundhouse kick coming at his head from the enemy that was directly behind him as the five enemies in front of him rushed towards him in an obviously well coordinated attack. He knew the main threat was the enemy behind him.

He fluidly ducked below the kick as he turned around and brought his right elbow down onto the side of the man's knee, sending a sickening 'pop' through the entire dojo. The man, being no longer able to stand, started to fall as he screamed. Rito wasn't having any of that. He quickly grabbed the falling man and flung him at two of advancing men, knocking them both down in a heap.

The two attackers furthest from him paused in astonishment at the brutality of the challenger. They hadn't truly taken his advice seriously until right then. They glanced at each other briefly before going opposite directions to flank their deadly opponent.

Rito swiftly dealt with the one attacker that hadn't been knocked down and wasn't trying to flank him by using an arm bar takedown and kneeing him in the chest on the way down, cracking 2 ribs in the process. Continuing with the backward momentum caused by the knee strike, he spun the now useless fighter into the flanker that was coming in from his right, knocking him down as well.

The left flanker, seeing his opponents back, saw his perfect opportunity to attack and tried to take out Rito's legs with a low roundhouse kick. Once again, Rito sensed the attack from the rear and dealt with it in a less brutal fashion than the first man he had taken out. Still spinning from the throw, he used his momentum to bring his wrist down to block the kick as he started his own roundhouse kick to the man's jaw. The man crumpled where he stood, unconscious before he hit the floor.

"Stop!" Kakashi called out, standing up and signaling for others to help the fallen students.

Rito stood up out of his fighting stance and bowed to his opponents before turning to Kakashi. "I told them to attack me with the intent to kill..."

"Yes, but did you have to injure them so severely?!" Kakashi asked with fury.

"First off, I told you full contact and you accepted those terms. Secondly, none of your students are severely injured. The knee can be popped back into the joint, and he should be able to resume training in 3 weeks with bed rest. The cracked ribs will take longer to heal, but I'll point out that I could have easily caved in his chest by adding an elbow strike to his back. As for the unconscious one... well, he'll wake up in a few minutes. I must ask, are you still willing to fight me after seeing what I am capable of?"

By the end of Rito's response, Kakashi had managed to calm down and grudgingly admitted that the man was right. He had accepted the terms given, but he had made a grave error in underestimating him, even a little, because of his earlier assumption. His students had paid the price, but Rito-san had already told them he'd pay for the hospital bill. He shook his head at his mistake and looked Rito in his eyes.

"As you said, I accepted your challenge and terms, therefore I will fight you, but I wish to change the terms slightly."

"How so?"

"I'd like for you to remove you jacket before we fight."

Rito bowed and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot comply with your request. The jacket is an integral part of my style. However I might be able to comply if you can guess why that is so."

"After seeing you in action, I'm fine with that, but I must first ask you if there is some trick to your jacket that gives you an advantage over a third degree black belt in karate?"

"I wouldn't call it a trick. It's more a function of the jacket itself."

Kakashi looked him over from head to toe before he nodded his head and grinned with understanding. "I get it. So that's why you called it your _gi_. Your opponents can't tell what you're going to strike at them with. They can't even see any of your major joints with your jacket on, let alone if you might have any weapons on you. Ingenious... What do you call your style?"

He smiled with amusement. "I call it the Phantom Joint style."

"An apt name. So you will remove your jacket for our match?"

"I always keep my word. Now you'll see why it's absolutely imperative that I have my jacket when I use this style. If I'm right, you should wipe the floor with me. Feel free to get a little pay back for your students if you want. I don't think there's a lot I can do to stop you at this point," he said with a grin while removing his jacket and handing it to Sayuri to hold.

Sayuri took it without saying a word. At this point, she wasn't sure she could say anything after that display of strength! She finally came to her senses and hugged his jacket close as the two men faced off in the center of the room, taking in the scent that she'd grown accustomed to in the last week. After seeing him like this, she wasn't sure she would be able to let him go without a fight when he left next week.

And wait until she told her _friends!_ It was a good thing she was recording the whole thing on her cell phone, or they'd never believe her!

"One moment Kakashi-sama, I need to take care of something real quick."

Rito dropped his stance and walked back over to Sayuri and knelt down so he was face to face with her. "Sayuri-san, if you wouldn't mind turning off the camera in your phone, I'd rather that everyone on the Internet _not_ see my fighting style with my jacket off," he said smiling at her.

"Ano... sure Ryan-kun," she said as she blushed. She hadn't realized that he'd noticed, but when she thought about it, he _was_ always looking everywhere when they were out. She turned her phone off and watched Rito as he stood up and walked back to his position with a smirk on his face. She loved that smirk of his. He almost always had it on his face. No matter what happened to him or what anybody said to or about him, it was a constant fixture.

The only time she'd seen him without it was when he was walking down the street looking around and when someone threatened or talked bad about her or one of his friends. Then his face turned cold and emotionless. That face scared her, but at the same time made her feel safe knowing that he wore it in her defense. She pulled the jacket close once again and watched the sparring match over the top of it with her nose buried in it.

Rito proceeded to get tossed around the dojo for the next 5 minutes, yet still got up again and again (even after a full force kick to the jaw), until the judge called the match over with Rito the loser. They both bowed once more before grinning at one another.

"Damn Kakashi-sama, you've got one hell of a kick! You even broke one of my wrist guards!"

"It's simply a matter of training. I must admit that you were telling the truth about your wrists though. I'm pretty sure you caused a bone bruise on my shin when you blocked the kick after that! Why _are_ your wrists so hard?"

Rito shrugged, a very large bruise blossoming on his left cheek. "You know, I've never actually looked into that. I've just worked around it my whole life. Maybe I'll do some research now that you brought it up." Even beaten and limping, he had that smirk plastered to his face. "So did you get all the mad out of your system?"

"Actually, yes. Thank you for the excellent fight Rito-kun. Consider yourself welcome in this dojo at any time. Did you want to learn the style yourself?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to watch your classes and incorporate what I can into my own style. The Phantom Joint is a 'living' style; I've created it from the ground up to make a style that works for me. If I can ever find a student that can handle the rigors of training, I may yet pass it down. When that happens, I will want to have added as much as I can to my style before then."

"Not at all. We practice daily at 10 AM and 7 PM, feel free to stop by anytime and watch. Now let us retire to the hospital and see how my students are fairing, shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan. Sayuri-san, are you ready to go?" he asked turning to the girl buried in his coat.

"_Hai_!" She jumped to her feet and moved quickly over to Rito, then touched his left cheek softly with her hand. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little. It'll hurt more later. It's a good thing we're already on the way to the hospital, _ne_?" he asked coyly as he took his trench coat from her and put it on. The three of them walked out of the dojo together and Kakashi went to put on his street clothes while Sayuri and Rito put their shoes and boots and weapons back on respectively.

Rito put his earbud back into his right ear and leaned against the wall to wait. Sayuri leaned on the wall next to him watching him as he hummed softly. His face now had that slightly intense expression she had seen sometimes while he listened to his music. However since she didn't know much English, she couldn't always understand what the songs he sang along with meant. His favorite songs seemed to have deeper meanings than the words let on at first, and she was dying to know why.

She did catch one phrase that kept repeating that she understood, but she was curious as to why it was in one of his favorite songs and finally gathered the courage to ask him.

"_Ne_, Ryan-kun? Why do most of your favorite songs seem to depress you so much?"

"_Ara_? Hmm... I guess because they just have more meaning to me than other songs do. Why do you ask?"

"_Eto_... that song had one stanza that kept repeating, and it made you look even more sad than normal. I think it went:

_'How can I be lost, if I've got nowhere to go?_

_Search for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?_

_How can I be lost, in remembrance I relive?_

_So how can I blame you, when it's me I can't forgive?_'"

"Heh... you understood that, huh?" he asked with a wry grin.

"Not all of it. Mostly just the last line. I started to try understanding English better when I kept hearing you sing. I wanted to know what was making you look so unhappy! I'm used to seeing you with a smile on your face! Ryan-kun isn't Ryan-kun unless he's smiling!" she said, getting louder as she continued and starting to tear up a bit from the emotion she put into it.

He reached out with his hand to wipe the tears that were forming in her eyes. "And Sayuri-san isn't Sayuri-san when she's crying over a guy like me. Even after seeing my ugly side in there, you still like me?"

"Of course! I know you only use that 'ugly' side when you're trying to protect someone! Think of how we met! The glare you gave that pervert terrified me! But when you smiled and asked if I wanted for you to stand behind me to stop it from happening again, I wasn't scared anymore. I felt like I was in the safest place in the world! You make me feel safe!"

Rito and Sayuri both knew that everybody in the dojo could probably hear them, but neither cared. This conversation would be a defining point in whatever relationship the two of them had in the future.

"Well, what if one day I wasn't there to protect you from something really dangerous? Then what? I'm not strong enough to go through that again!"

_Again? So that's what it is!_ she thought to herself. "Ha! I'll just do the same thing I did before you showed up! I'm not helpless you know! You've taught me a lot in the last week and I learned a lot just by watching your fights in there! You won't have to worry about me when you go," she retorted, smoothly avoiding mentioning his slip-up. Her expression softened. "Just know that the spare bedroom is always open to you if you stop here again when you're leaving Japan."

Rito was ready to fight Sayuri on the matter, but stopped cold as her determined expression dissolved into one of plain acceptance. It was a look that brought back more memories than any of his songs did, and he looked away from her quickly. He took a couple of steadying breathes before returning his gaze to meet hers again.

"Fine... I won't push you away anymore, but it's going to take awhile before I'm ready to let myself fall in love again. Are you willing to wait around for me, even if that never happens? You may miss out on a lot of really great guys."

"Who I wait around for is none of your business Ryan Rito. So if it takes you twenty or thirty years to finally let yourself fall in love again, I may just be waiting here in Shinjuku for you to come sweep me off my feet. Or I might not. You'll just have to come back and see for yourself when that time comes, now won't you?" she asked tartly.

Rito couldn't help himself, he started laughing and just couldn't stop. Her imperious tone and attitude just cracked him up to no end. He looked up when he heard Sayuri laughing right along with him, not knowing that his laughter was infectious to her, and they both shared a good laugh after the harrowing ordeal.

Once they had finally calmed down, Rito had his normal smirk in place as he called out. "Alright Kakashi-sama, you can come out from around the corner now. We're done fighting loud enough for people on the street to hear."

Kakashi stepped out from around the corner where he had been listening in on their conversation. "Well it was very enlightening for me. I thought your form was different somehow, and now it makes sense. The Phantom Joint style wasn't created to defend yourself. It was created to defend others, wasn't it? Why else would it be so effective against such skilled attackers in such numbers? Not to mention brutal and heartless. If you think about it with the mindset of 'they're going to hurt the one I need to protect', it's the only thing that fits ."

Sayuri looked up at Rito in surprise. "Is that true Ryan-kun?"

Rito looked from Sayuri to Kakashi, then sighed as he shrugged before answering them. "Yes; the Phantom Joint style was created in order to defend others. And the more I want to defend a person, the more brutal the style becomes. I've got a lot of hate and anger that I've focused into creating this style, and it shines through in my fights when I concentrate on the memories that caused those emotions. I'll tell you both a secret. The ones responsible for the feelings that were the basis of this style are dead and gone, but their ilk still roam freely. That's why I created it."

"I see. In that case, you not only have my respect, but my condolences as well," he said as he bowed deeply to Rito. "I thank you for not killing my students, Rito-kun. I'm sure that if you were to truly concentrate on those memories, you could easily kill every one of my students and myself without even using the weapons you now carry in your holster and boot. It must have took great control to hold back as much as you did."

Rito returned the bow just as deeply as Kakashi had given. "No, I apologize for injuring them as much as I did. I'll pay for all of their medical expenses until they're completely recovered. Let's go see them now so that I can apologize in person."

Kakashi nodded and motioned for them to proceed him. _His past affects him this deeply, even today. I just hope that Sayuri-san doesn't get heartbroken if he never recovers from what happened in his past. They both deserve happiness, but the question is 'will they find it with each other'?_

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Mountain Mansion - Present day

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"You're eyes... They're red? How...?"

"This is _my_ secret. I didn't even know about it until I was twelve."

"Didn't know about what exactly?" Shiki asked.

"About what was sealed inside of me at birth. For the first twelve years of my life, almost everyone in my village shunned me or just flat out ignored me and I never could figure out why. I had no parents, and the orphanage kicked me out when I was two years old and told me I was 'old enough to take care of myself'. The leader of our village, the Hokage, gave me a one bedroom apartment in the civilian section of the village so that I might be able to lead a vaguely normal life. He even assigned a covert guard unit to watch over me that he thought I wouldn't notice.

"As I got older, shops would either refuse me service or jack up the prices of their items to almost triple the normal price. The only exception was Ichiraku Ramen. That was my one safe haven away from home that I could go to and they would accept me for who I was. Then when I was old enough, I enrolled myself into the Academy. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage ever, so that I can protect everyone and everyone will acknowledge me for who I am. But that'll have to wait until we get back and rebuild the village."

The Tohno family stood there in shock as he told them about his past, hypnotized by both his story and his eyes. Even Hinata looked pale as he retold his grim past. Nanaya's curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but ask the question they were all dying to know. "Naruto-san, what exactly was sealed inside of you?"

Naruto looked her in the eye and gave her a grim smile. "I'm almost to that part Nanaya-san, but you need to hear the story first."

"The night I was born, my village was attacked. Hundreds of people were killed before the Yondaime Hokage arrived and defeated the enemy, sacrificing his own life in the process. It was said that the Yondaime had killed the enemy, and most of the people in the village went through their lives believing that story. However the soldiers of the village, the ninja, knew what really happened and were forbidden to talk about it in public."

"Wait, did you say ninja? As in the stealthy, assassin ninja of legend?" Shiki asked.

"Uhhh... Oh ya! I knew I forgot to tell you something! Both Hinata and myself are ninja. Assassinations are only a very tiny portion of what we do and they're mostly reserved for the higher ranking ninja. Mostly it's just stuff like escorting diplomats or being a courier for important documents."

Nanaya had been holding back her squeel of excitement, but when Naruto confirmed it, she let loose. "OMG! YOU'REAREALNINJA?! CANYOUREALLYRUNUPWALLSANDWALKONWATER?! CANYOUTEACHMEHOW?! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!"

Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm once again. "Yes, I'm a real ninja, and I would love to teach you the basics, but right now you're not ready for it since you haven't even learned how to mold chakra. I'd give it a while before I tried to teach you anything like walking on water."

"Okay, Naruto-san... I'll be patient..." Nanaya said repentantly.

"Hahaha! It's okay Nanaya-san. Don't worry about it. So where was I? Oh ya! What really happened the night of the attack!"

"So you see, the Yondaime Hokage couldn't kill the enemy that attacked Konohagakure that night. No mortal can really _kill_ an entity of pure chakra. So instead he sealed the entity inside of a newborn child, its umbilical cord freshly cut. It was the only way to keep the demon sealed away. If someone with a chakra network were to receive such a large concentration of chakra, it would overload their system and kill them, thus releasing the chakra. With a newborn, though, there is no network in place, so the body can easily accept the foreign chakra and adapt its developing chakra network to handle it.

"So when the Sandaime Hokage returned to his position as village leader, he decreed that no one could speak of what really happened that night, and that no one could tell anybody that didn't already know about it, including the child, under penalty of death. He tried to give the child a chance to grow up with peers who didn't see him as a monster.

"I grew up with cold stares and people calling me all sorts of names. At the time I thought nobody cared. I couldn't understand why people would call me the 'fox-brat' or the 'demon', I only understood that I wasn't wanted. When I attended the Ninja Academy, I thought that I might be able to make new friends, and I _was_ able to, but a lot of the kids had learned to avoid me from the way their parents acted towards me. So to gain attention, I ended up turning into the class clown and the village prankster. I failed the final exams three times in a row because of one stupid jutsu.

"After that third failure, a lot of things happened, but I'll just give you the short version. I found out what was sealed inside me that night, and earned the right to be called a ninja from my teacher, Iruka-sensei. Over time the demon and I came to an understanding, and now we fight as one," he started to make the hand signs for the Mini-Kyuubi jutsu as his tale came to an end. "So without further ado, I give you my very own Demon Within: the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Mini-Kyuubi no jutsu!"

With a poof of smoke, a four foot tall, red-furred, nine-tailed fox appeared next to Naruto in the dining room. The maids were frozen, not knowing what to expect, while Shiki and Akiha stood up and backed away from the table and the Hinata jumped into the Gentle Fist stance.

"Relax you guys, he won't hurt any of you. We made a blood pact with each other. He's also Team Kakashi's emergency fourth member. Come on, Hinata-chan, do you really think I'd let Kyuubi out if he was a danger to you?" he said exasperated.

She dropped her stance and eyed the Kyuubi warily before relaxing and smiling at Naruto. "No you wouldn't Naruto-kun. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I apologize for my behavior, Kyuubi-sama," she said while bowing towards the Kyuubi.

"**Looks like the Hyuuga aren't all as stuck-up and hidebound as I remember them being. Don't worry about it Hinata-**_**chan**_**. I've already told the brat that if he let you go, I'd break our pact and kill him myself to make sure his stupidity didn't carry on to the next generation. Oh and feel free to drop the title. I'm sure we'll get to know each other very well in the future, what with you being the brat's mate and all**," he said with wry humor plain in his voice and expression.

Hinata couldn't help herself; she burst out laughing while blushing like crazy. Shiki and Akiha exchanged a glance and shrugged at each other before sitting down at the table once again. Once Hinata had control of herself again, she smiled at the Kyuubi. "I'd like that very much Kyuubi. Though I'm curious as to whether you assist Team Kakashi in that form? You'd seem more like a summon than an actual team member looking like that and I don't believe that you would stand to let anyone mistake you for a mere summon."

Kyuubi looked over at Naruto with a foxy grin. "**I told you she was sharp. You're right Hinata-chan, I don't normally help Team Kakashi in this form. Kit?**"

Naruto had already started to make the abbreviated hand signs that were needed to change the Mini-Kyuubi into the Kyuubi Clone and finished as Kyuubi turned it's head to him the second time. "Coming right up! Kyuubi bushin no jutsu!"

Another cloud of smoke appeared in the room and when it cleared there was a six foot tall, orange-haired, red-eyed, trim and muscular male wearing an identical outfit to Naruto's normal outfit, but with a crimson red shirt instead of a black one.

"**Is this better?**"

"Whoa... How long can you stay in that form?"

Kyuubi chuckled. "**I can only stay in this form for as long as the Kit lets me. If his chakra that was molded into the clone runs out, my erratic chakra will destroy the clone very quickly. So the more of his chakra he puts into the clone, the longer I'm able to walk about in the world like this.**"

"Right now, he should stick around for a half hour or so. So does this answer your original question, Akiha-san?"

Akiha tore her attention from the giant of a man sitting down at the table and stared at Naruto. "In spades, Uzumaki-san. This may actually explain a few other things I've been wondering about since you got here."

"So I guess you'll be staying for tea?" Shiki asked Kyuubi with a grin. "Nanaya? Could you please bring another cup of tea for Kyuubi-sama?"

"Sure thing Shiki-san!" Nanaya quipped with a smile as she left the dining room to go fulfill the request.

"**To be honest I'm **_**very**_** curious about you, young lady. It feels as if you have my power within you like the Kit does, just to a lesser extent. Why is that?**"

"Yes, I felt much the same way when I first met Uzumaki-san; I couldn't figure out why he emanated such a similar aura to those with Tohno blood. My power may very well have something to do with you if indeed you were the one responsible for that portal that these two came out of."

"**What do you mean?**"

"The aura you emanate feels exactly the same as the one I give off when I use my powers. I think the 'cursed' blood of the Tohno family may originate from you somehow."

"**That seems unlikely. I have never met anyone with the surname of Tohno either time I visited this dimension.**"

"Wait! You mean you've been here before? Why didn't you say anything to me?!" Naruto yelled.

"**I **_**did**_** tell you. You were just so intent on getting to your mate that you blew me off.**"

Naruto was absolutely stunned. He vaguely remembered Kyuubi telling him about traveling to other dimensions or worlds, but he thought that Kyuubi was just screwing with him.

"**Close you mouth before flies take advantage, Kit.**"

Naruto's mouth 'clomped' shut and he gave Kyuubi a dirty look and stuck out his tongue.

Akiha sighed as she brought her hand to cover her face. After a moment in that position, she lowered her hand and turned to Hisui, who was still standing along the wall. "Hisui, go to Father's office and bring me the book in the bottom drawer of his desk."

"_Hai_, Akiha-sama."

Hisui passed Nanaya in the doorway as she came back with another saucer with a cup of tea on it for Kyuubi. "Would you like any sugar or cream, Kyuubi-sama?"

"**No, thank you,**" he said as he took a sip. "**Mmm... the quality of tea has improved over the last several hundred years. I'm glad I had the opportunity to sample such a fine quality leaf.**"

Nanaya bowed to Kyuubi and blushed slightly at the praise. "_Arigato_, Kyuubi-sama. I'm glad that you enjoy my personal blend of tea leaves that much. If you ever want more, simply ask."

"**This is your personal blend? Gir-... no, Nanaya-san... we **_**must**_** make time later to sit down and discuss how you came up with such a superb combination of flavors. However I believe we were originally discussing the genesis of your power were we not, young lady?**"

Both Naruto and Akiha were slightly miffed by the fact that Kyuubi had addressed both Nanaya and Hinata by their names before either of them, but Naruto was forced to laugh at the fact that he still called Akiha 'young lady', much to the girl's chagrin. At least he knew it wasn't just because they were girls.

"We were, and we shall continue that discussion when Hisui returns with the book. Until then let's enjoy this _wonderful_ tea, shall we?"

Nobody in the room was fooled by her expression. They all knew she was feeling slightly off-put from the incident with Nanaya and Kyuubi and was just using the time waiting for Hisui to regain her composure.

They didn't have to wait long as Hisui returned a couple of minutes later with a large threadbare book in her arms. She walked to Akiha and placed the book in front of her on the table. "Thank you, Hisui. Now, let's see what we have here." Akiha opened the book and started to turn the pages with great care. As she was browsing through the book, she began her explanation.

"When the Tohno clan was first formed during the Eto Period, they were just a simple clan of merchants composed of mainly small businessmen. As the Clan grew in power and wealth, they began seeking new means of revenue and formed a coalition composed of other large merchant clans.

"According to the books on our clan's history in Father's library, sometime between five and eight hundred years ago, the Tohno and Kouma clans came across a demon and managed to convince it to mix it's blood with theirs in order to gain even more power. This is the first and only reference to the demon in any of the texts I could get my hands on, and nothing ever mentions what payment was given to gain the demon's favor or what kept it from coming back."

Naruto noticed Kyuubi stiffen at the mention of the Kouma clan, and had been staring at Akiha with renewed interest ever since. Naruto knew that Kyuubi had just figured something out, but was keeping it to himself. Akiha continued her monologue, completely oblivious to her audience.

"From that point on, mixed blood children started to show up in most branches of both families, until finally the main houses of Tohno and Kouma were entirely of mixed blood. The main reason I say the main houses is because after the first couple of generations, almost all of the mixed blood members started to have Inversion Impulses. One day they would have complete control over whatever power they had, and the next they would become bloodthirsty monsters with no form of sanity whatsoever. Those members of the clans who were not of mixed blood or did not have any powers were shifted into branch families for their safety.

"The threat of Inverting is still alive to this day, but seeing as I am the last living blood Tohno, that threat will end with my death. The Kouma family fell off the face of the earth a few years back, so I have no idea what their situation is."

"**It sounds to me as if those clans got what they deserved. Making deals with demons is risky business you know. So am I to understand that you do not plan to have offspring?**"

Akiha looked up from the book in surprise at the unusual question. She held her gaze to Kyuubi's, trying to pick up any clues as to the reason from him through his body language, before answering. "That is correct. The only man I have ever cared about in that way is unavailable and I refuse to have a child with someone I do not love. The Tohno clan that was cursed those many hundreds of years ago will end with me. I hope that my Nii-san will change the Tohno clan into a clan that will be open and loving towards one another after I'm gone."

"Wait, back up a second. Shiki isn't your real brother?" Naruto asked looking back and forth between Shiki and Akiha.

"No, I was adopted by the Tohno clan about nine years ago after my birth family was massacred by them. I didn't find that particular bit of information out until a few months ago, but Akiha and I still consider each other the only family we have now. Well, Hisui and Nanaya, too," he said smiling at the maids. He took his sister's lead in not mentioning that he was the one Akiha was in love with or the fact that he and Hisui were an item. There were going to be enough personal details revealed tonight.

"I was born into a clan of demon slaying assassins. My clan members all had superhuman strength and speed when it came to fighting inhuman creatures. The only reason my blood didn't take over when the Kyuubi appeared is because I was expecting something unusual to happen when you told your I was able to keep myself in check. Otherwise, Kyuubi would probably be dead right now."

"**Impossible. There's no way to kill a being of pure chakra.**"

"Kyuubi, I'd keep my assumptions to myself for the time being if I were you. You don't know anything about _my_ powers yet. Especially since my powers don't originate from demons like my sister's do."

Kyuubi growled slightly at what he thought was impertinence from Shiki. Naruto reached over and put a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. "Cool it Kyuubi. The fact that they didn't seem too surprised about you showing up out of nowhere says to me that they've got some interesting powers themselves." Kyuubi glared at Naruto briefly before nodding sharply and returned his attention to Akiha. "**You were saying, young lady?**"

"Continuing with the original subject..." Akiha said, breaking the tension in the room, "the reason I had Hisui retrieve the family tree was because I wanted to see if Hyuuga-san might be able to read under the scribble covering the name of the original mixed blood family member. It's quite obvious after your earlier display that your eyes see much more detail than those of us with normal eyes, Hyuuga-san," she said with a grin.

"Yes that's true. My eyes might be able to see the original text, but I won't promise you that they will. Any number of things might prevent me from being able to read it. Where is the name at?"

Akiha turned the book towards Hinata and pointed to a scribble off to the side under the heading for one of the smaller, less wealthy families that made up the original Tohno clan and had married into the Kouma clan.

Hinata closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra into her eyes to activate her bloodline as she opened them. "Byakugan!"

Kyuubi was staring at Hinatalike like she was the most important thing in the world yet looked like he wanted to kill somebody at the same time. Naruto tightened his grip slightly on Kyuubi's shoulder. "You know something don't you?" he asked in a whisper.

Kyuubi shook his head slightly, eyes never leaving Hinata's face. "**It's just a hunch, but if your mate speaks the name I **_**hope**_** she doesn't then this situation will become very interesting**," he answered just as quitely. Naruto nodded and loosened his grip again.

"It's hard to make out, but I can still read it," Hinata finally said.

"What's the name, Hyuuga-san?" Akiha asked with barely contained excitement. Everyone was on the edge of their figurative seats waiting for the answer.

"It says 'Kou- To-... The last two characters are illegible. From what you told us, the surname is most likely Kouma, but the given name could be anything. It says she was the eldest daughter of Haruka Touma and Shishio Touma, and that she 'mysteriously disappeared' at age seventeen soon after giving birth to triplets. Two of those babies were adopted into the Tohno clan while the last was raised by the girl's parents. They were the first three family members with mixed blood. Their names are so scratched out that I can't even tell their gender let alone their names.

Akiha sighed deeply and settled back into her chair looking deflated. "So I guess the only thing we really learned is that given name of the first person to spawn mixed blood children starts with 'To'."

"**You may have only learned that much, but I learned a great deal more,**" Kyuubi said with a harrowed expression.

"So your hunch...?" Naruto asked.

"**It appears so, Kit. It was her parent's names that proved my hunch to be true,**" Kyuubi said as he glanced at the boy before turning his attention to Akiha. "**Akiha, it appears that your first impressions were correct.**"

"Wait, you mean...? The Tohno curse...? It... YOU?! I thought you said you never met anyone named Tohno!" Akiha screeched, completely shocked.

"**It's true. I've never met a 'Tohno' in my entire existence before meeting you. My **_**mate**_**, however, was named Tomoyo Kouma: Your ancestor from seven hundred years ago. Which would make me-**"

"MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER?!"

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Author's Notes

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Sorry for the abrupt end, but I finally went back and did some proofreading of the chapter and realized how LONG it was. So I found a point to close out the chapter! Once again, thanks to those who have commented and added this story to their alert list. It's been slow going finding time to sit down and get some writing done here in Africa, but I've going to make time so you're not waiting 2+ weeks for an update!!! Jet lag is killing me, but I _will_ make the time!

Also, I've found that what author authors say is true: lot's of comments make you feel great! The more comments I get, the more inspiration and backing I feel when I'm writing! So if you like Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within, please comment and let me know how I'm doing and what you do and don't like about my story.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	8. Revelations

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Again, I apologize for the long wait between chapters, but it really couldn't be helped due to connectivity issues. I've been doing my best to make time during the afternoons and evenings to keep up on my writing, but sometimes I've just got too much on my plate... Well, anyway! Here's chapter 8! This is THE ABSOLUTE last chapter in which I'll take input on my OC, so if you've got something to say, NOW is the time to say it! ^_^

Enjoy!

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Shinjuku – 4 days prior

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Rito exhaled sharply as his back hit the floor.

"Good! Again!" he said with a smile as he sprung to his feet.

He turned once again to Sayuri, who was sweating and panting from practicing for almost two hours straight on blocks, counters, and throws from both the Hatake style of karate and Rito's Hidden Joint style in the Hatake Dojo.

That had been the first time she had gotten a Hidden Joint technique perfect. "Ryan-kuuuun! I've been working on this one move for almost forty-five minutes now! Can't we call it a day?" she whined, totally worn out.

Rito's grin never faltered. "We can call it a day right after you can perform the elbow counter throw three times in a row at full contact! You've got the hang of it now, but I want to make sure you memorize it!" His elbow and knee were sore as hell, but he really wanted to make sure that he passed along at least ONE move from his style to Sayuri.

The move could only be performed when an attacker was either reaching for or punching at you. The person being attacked had to take a step at a forty-five degree angle towards and to the side of the attacker while grabbing the wrist, then bringing the attacker off-balance by striking the elbow with the opposite arm and while using the momentum to swing the attacker around, finally taking the attacker down by kicking the knee as hard as possible, thus flipping them over onto their back.

Of course there were easier take downs that could be utilized, but few that could disable an attacker as thoroughly as this one, especially considering that the move was usually used when there were multiple attackers and the person being attacked couldn't take the time to ensure the opponent stayed down.

"Are you sure? At full force, I could really hurt you!" she said with a worried expression.

"Don't worry about that! I know what my body can take. Now, are you ready?"

She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. When she opened them again, Rito could see the determination in her eyes. "Ready!"

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Ten minutes later, Rito and Sayuri walked out of the Hatake Dojo as they waved to the students and teachers. Rito sported a slight limp in his right leg, but his grin belied his pain.

"I'm so impressed that you were able to get that move down so quickly! It took me days to perfect that move! What really surprises me though is the fact that it was the first move you were able to master! You've been trying to learn the easier stuff for the last week and a half, but nail this one the very first day!"

"Well for some reason, it just seemed to flow for me. Do you think you'll be able to try and teach me any more moves before you leave?" she asked.

"Well I'd like to, but I'm afraid that I'll need tomorrow to recover from today's training session. Since I leave the day after that, there won't be time to."

"Oh...I understand..." she said, her expression turning sad.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Rito spoke up. "You know, I'll be back in a couple of weeks. It's not like this is the last time you'll see me."

"I know it's not. It's just that I'm really going to miss you! And even when you come back, you'll only be here a few days before you return to America!"

Rito sighed softly. This wasn't the first time they'd had a conversation like this. They both knew where the other stood, but that didn't make either of them feel any better about the whole situation. There was a way he could stay in Japan for a longer period of time or even indefinitely if he so chose, but he didn't want to get Sayuri's hopes up by telling her that if for whatever reason he decided not to. He did _own_ his own business and had a very capable staff that took care of things wonderfully after all.

"That's true... but weren't you the one telling me that I'd just have to come back and see if you were really waiting and sweep you off your feet? What happened to all that patience?" he asked with a slight grin.

Now it was Sayuri's turn to sigh. Leave it to her to leave herself wide open for him to use her own words against her.

"I know... I think I'd wait for you until I was old and grey, Ryan-kun. That doesn't mean I'm looking forward to waiting that long, though."

"I guess I understand that. Look, this kind of talk isn't getting us anywhere. So lets just forget about it for now and try to enjoy the next couple of days as much as we can! How about this: tonight let's go out for dinner to Anne Miller's! My treat."

Sayuri looked up at him in surprise. Ever since she had shown her friends at school the video of Ryan sparring at the Hatake Dojo (and it's rapid upload to the Internet), he had avoided going out in public as much as possible so he wouldn't have to dodge his fan-girls and would-be apprentices and challengers. To cap it all off, it was also her turn to cook dinner that night. While she may have loved cooking for Ryan, she despised doing the dishes. She couldn't help but smile knowing that he was not only effectively taking her on a date, but also giving her the night off from kitchen duty.

"But Ryan-kun, ever since that video got onto the Net you've avoided going out in public! Are you sure you want to? You don't have to, you know."

Rito's smile only widened at her words. "Consider it a reward for mastering one of my moves so quickly! Come on, we're burning daylight! We've still got to shower and change before we go out! I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want to go out in these clothes!"

She blushed slightly, but nodded quickly and lengthened her stride in order to keep up with Rito. As they turned the corner at the street her apartment was on, she noticed how empty the sidewalks were and smiled mischievously. She took off at a sprint and yelled over her shoulder, "Race you home, Ryan-kun! Last one there has to wait for the shower!"

Rito recovered from his surprise quickly and chased after her laughing. "No fair! You already took out my knee!"

"All's fair in love and war, Ryan-kun!" she shouted as she glanced over her shoulder at the quickly gaining giant. Returning her attention to where she was going to avoiding pedestrians and beat him home, she dug deep into her reserves and put everything into making it the last twenty meters to the gate. She could hear his boots hitting the pavement and could tell he was easily gaining on her despite his complaint about his knee.

Behind her, Rito was indeed gaining on Sayuri. However he wasn't really trying to win; just trying hard enough so that she wouldn't think he let her win. At least that was his plan until ten meters later a cat darted out onto the sidewalk through the gate of another building, startling Sayuri and making her lose her footing. Rito's body moved into action before he consciously knew what was happening.

Before Sayuri made it halfway to the concrete, Rito had put one last burst of speed into his stride and dove under her while twisting his body so that his back would hit the concrete first instead of Sayuri's face. As she impacted on Rito's chest, he wrapped his arms around her and emptied his lungs as his back struck the ground. They rolled with the momentum until they came to a stop against the wall next to her apartment with her on top. Both were breathing hard and clinging to the other as if their life depended on it.

After a bit, Sayuri finally looked up at Rito and met his gaze. "Are you okay, Sayuri-chan?"

She blushed slightly at his choice of honorific, but nodded quickly. "Hai. Thanks to you, that is. Are you alright, Ryan-kun?"

Rito laughed again and rested his head back against the concrete as he smiled. "After the beating you gave me today, this was nothing. Can you get up alright?"

Sayuri ignored the beating comment and pushed herself off of his warm chest as she rolled to the side so that he could get up as well. "I'm just fine, Ryan-kun. Here, let me help you up."

He reached up, took her proffered hand and pulled himself to his feet. "So who won that little war?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled back at him. "Let's call this _battle_ a draw. However..." she trailed off as she pushed Rito against the wall. She leaned into him and kissed him on the lips while standing on the tips of her toes. It was short and intense, but thoroughly enjoyable to both of them. As she broke the kiss and backed away, she continued to smile and jumped the last meter to the gate.

"I get the shower first and you'd better believe that I plan on winning your love at all costs!" At those words she opened the gate and darted towards the building, leaving Rito leaning against the wall staring at where she had stood seconds before. His mind was still recovering from the intensity of the kiss and his skin tingled where her hands had touched his chest.

He shook his head sharply and tried to regain some form of rational thought. Unfortunately his first thought was, '_Okay, it's official. I think I love that girl... Damn! Now it's going to be hard as hell to leave her here while I go tour the countryside! Good job, Ryan! Visit foreign country: check. Find lodging: check. Fall in love with local girl: check. Why do I always get myself into situations like this? Oh yeah... because I can't mind my own business!'_

However, Rito couldn't help but smile again as he pushed himself off of the wall and walked through the gate, closing it behind him. _Well at least now I know that my heart has healed enough to love again... Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do about it._

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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"Oi! Tell me you're kidding _baka kitsune_!"

Kyuubi leveled a mild glare at his blond host. "**You **_**really**_** think you know everything about me? You didn't even believe that I visited other worlds less than twelve hours ago, yet here we are...**"

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but snapped it shut when he noticed Akiha stand up out of the corner of his eye. His gaze shifted and then froze on her face as he felt killing intent radiate off of her. Even Hinata had shifted slightly away from the enraged girl. The only human who seemed unconcerned by her behavior was Shiki, and Naruto was left to wonder what exactly the boy had been through growing up if this didn't phase him.

Kyuubi turned his attention to Akiha as well and raised an eyebrow at her expression. "**Is there something you'd like to say, young one?**"

Both ninja felt the intense spike of killing intent and thought they saw the girl's hair turn red for a second, but looking again only saw her usual raven hue and disregarded it. It was Shiki who diffused the potentially bloody situation. "Akiha, calm down a bit. I know you're angry about this surprising development, but I'm sure Kyuubi has his reasons. I'm also certain that he will be able to help shed some light on more of our family's mysteries. But I somehow doubt he'll be very inclined to help if you do something rash..."

"I know that, Nii-san!" she yelled, directing her wrath towards her brother. Her anger didn't seem to phase him in the least. Still keeping her annoyed expression in place she turned her attention once again to her guests. "Well, now that we know Uzumaki-san's secret as well as his _secret's_ secret, that leaves Hyuuga-san. We know her secret has something to do with her eyes, but exactly what wasn't explained."

"Yes, that is correct Tohno-san. My ability is called 'Byakugan' and where we come from it is known as a _kekei genkai_, or Bloodline Limit. When activated, it gives me a three-hundred and sixty degree field of vision and the ability to see the flow of chakra, even through solid objects like walls. It also allows me to read a person's body language to a much higher degree than normal," Hinata explained in a confident tone.

"Meaning if we were to try to lie to you while your 'Byakugan' was activated, you'd be able to tell?" Shiki asked.

"Shiki, she'd be able to tell you the reason why you were lying. Then she would explain in painful detail what every last little movement you made mea-"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled, her expression severe. Naruto simply wore his normal foxy expression, but gave her a repentant grin.

"I'm just kidding, guys. Hinata-chan would never do something so mean-spirited. Though her cousin Neji did that once to her a few years ago."

"Her _cousin_?" Nanaya asked from behind Akiha. "Why would he do something so cruel?" she asked with a little heat.

"Neji... had some issues that he eventually worked out. However I _did_ pay him back with interest a month later for treating Hinata-chan that way. He's an okay guy now, though."

"Well that's good. Though I wonder what caused him to be so mean like that?" Nanaya said tilting her head slightly with a thoughtful expression.

"Neji-nii-san was angry with the Main Branch of the Hyuuga family over an incident that occurred when we were children and chose to take his frustration out on me... He's gotten over all that now, partially due to Naruto-kun's influence," she said with a smile. "Well, that's about it for my 'secret'. You mentioned earlier that you already had demonstrations prepared in the back yard, right?" she prompted, quickly changing the subject.

"That's correct Hyuuga-san. Hisui? Nanaya? Nii-san?" Each gave her a nod before making their way to the back door attached to the dining room. "If you would please make your way outside, we'll begin our demonstrations."

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Out back were two small steel safes set out on top of a hardwood table that looked like it belonged in the dining room instead of in the backyard. The maids stayed by the door while Akiha and Shiki walked towards the table. Naruto, Hinata and Kyuubi followed after their hosts and stopped where they were standing.

"Oi, so we know that Akiha-san's powers come indirectly from the Kyuubi and that Shiki's power has something to do with his eyes like Hinata-chan, but what do a couple of safes and a table have to do with it?"

Akiha opened her mouth to retort when Kyuubi reached out and smacked him on the back of his head. "Oi! What the hell?" he exclaimed holding the back of his head while Kyuubi glared at him.

"**Shut up for ten seconds and they might actually have the time to explain, Kit!**"

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said, her expression saying 'please behave yourself.'

"Thank you, Kyuubi-sama. Now before we begin, would the three of you please inspect the safes and table and ensure that they are all in perfect condition?"

The three of them looked at each other perplexed, but went over to the table to inspect the items without asking why. After spending a minute or so looking over the items closely, running hands across them to check for faults or hidden tricks, they walked back to where they were standing before.

"Those safes are really solid! For little things, they sure do weigh a lot..."

"The table his finely crafted and the safes are top quality steel. I could find no imperfections in any of them. Though I have to say I can't help but be curious as to their purpose as well..." Naruto looked over at Hinata appreciatively at this. Kyuubi merely nodded his head at Akiha to indicate he agreed with the other two.

"I will let Nii-san go first," she said while gesturing towards her brother.

"Sounds good. Well, as I mentioned before, I come from a family of demon hunting assassins. That being the case, I have natural born killing abilities and a sort of alter ego that goes with them. I've only used these abilities once, but I know instinctually what I'm capable of. However, that's only half of my abilities. The other half only activated after my near-death experience eight years ago.

"Ever since that time, I have been able to see lines and points superimposed over everything I see. When I mentioned the lines to the doctors at the hospital, they thought I had brain damage or that I went insane. One day I got curious and traced one of the lines on my bed with a fruit knife. The bed split along that line... Even after seeing the results, the doctors still didn't believe that I could see the lines.

"I ran away from the hospital and ended up in a field outside of town. I met my Sensei there. She had an abrasive personality and a short temper, but she was the only person to ever teach me anything worthwhile. She was the one who gave me these glasses which allow me to _not_ see the lines and points. Without them, I probably would have gone insane long ago.

"You see, I originally thought that those lines were just faults where it was easier to break something. However the truth is a bit more grim than that. Everything in the world is fated to die and break down. Scientists call it entropy. One day everything in the universe will die. It's a foregone conclusion. The lines are simply a representation of that fated end.

"Points, however, represent the very existence of an object. The reason I told you to hold your tounge, Kyuubi, is because I've already killed someone that was supposedly 'immortal' with these eyes," he explained as he looked at the demon. Kyuubi simply inclined his head slightly, but chose to say nothing in response. Shrugging, Shiki turned towards the table and reached for his glasses. He took a deep breathe, then removed them.

Putting them into his pocket he reached into his other pocket and pulled out his knife, flicking it open in the process. The safes and table were covered in lines and points. He walked up to the table next to one of the safes and casually placed his blade along one of the lines. As he started tracing it he spoke, "It doesn't matter if you have the strongest armor in the world. If the armor is easily disposed of, what good is it?"

Saying this, he pulled his knife away and watched as it fell into eight pieces. Ignoring the gasps of surprise from Naruto and Hinata, as well and the grumble from Kyuubi, he walked over to the other safe finding the point with his eyes. "What good does 'immortality' do you if I can destroy the meaning of your very existence with a finger?" Saying this, he took his index finger and stabbed it into the point on the second safe, then removed it as the safe started to disintegrate.

He reached back into his pocket and put his glasses back on, taking a deep breath once again to try and stop the throbbing in his head caused by using his eyes.

"Whoa! That was so cool, Shiki! Scary, but cool!"

"Impressive, Shiki-san. I believe that your doujutsu out-shines mine with ease."

"**As much as I hate admitting it, I believe that your abilities might indeed be capable of destroying even me...**"

Putting his knife away, he continued his explanation. "After the incident dealing with the immortal, I did a little research to see if I could figure out exactly what these eyes were. I was only able to find one reference to the ability. They're called Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. They are very rare as one has to have the potential to use them in the form of a specific Magic Circuit. My eyes were activated after my near-death experience, so I assume that is also a requirement. Understanding and accepting death; such a simple concept, yet understood by so few people..."

He sighed and looked at his guests. "Well, that's it for me. Akiha?"

"Before I demonstrate, I have a question. Kyuubi-san, do you have an elemental affinity?"

"**Yes. Fire.**"

"I thought as much... Very well. You all know my family history, so I'll just explain my power. I have the ability to control the flow of energy. And since everything has energy in it, I can destroy almost anything. Observe."

Saying this, Akiha's hair changed to a bright red. She raised her hand towards the table and the trio watched as the table and remaining safe were reduced to ashes, seemingly being burned by intense heat. Hinata had activated her Byakugan yet again to try and see what was really going on. She was surprised to see that it was Akiha's hair that was doing all of the transferring of energy.

"Your hair!"

"I know, Hinata-chan! It turned all red!"

"No Naruto-kun! Her hair is what is pulling all of the energy out of the table and safe! It's almost as if it has a life all it's own."

"Very perceptive, Hyuuga-san. Yes, my hair is indeed a weapon. One that can reduce even titanium to a pile of ashes."

"**I'm impressed, Tohno. You have certainly developed well. It's a shame that you are the last one of your line. I would have liked to see how the others turned out as well.**"

"No you wouldn't have. They all turned out to be nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters that needed to be exterminated! Your blood has cursed this family long enough! After my death, the Tohno clan will finally be free of it!"

"**Hold your temper in check, Tohno. I did not mix my blood into your family by choice.**"

"What do you mean?" she asked warily, not completely believing what Kyuubi said.

"**I mean that I did not realize that Tomoyo-chan had given birth to three of my kits when I came to this dimension the second time to take her away from her abusive family. Hinata-chan reading your family tree was the first time I ever realized that I even **_**had**_** kits of my own!**"

"I see..." her hair returned to it's original jet black. "In that case, I believe we have much more to discuss. However we will continue that conversation tomorrow. It is getting late and you two need to get more rest," she said pointing at Naruto and Hinata. "This time in your own rooms," she said with a smirk.

Naruto and Hinata both had the courtesy to blush at her words.

"**That seems like a good idea. Especially since my time left in this form is coming to an end. I look forward to continuing our conversation over a cup of tea tomorrow, Tohno.**" Saying so, he turned his head slightly so he could see Nanaya as she bowed to him, indicating she had understood his message, before disappearing with a poof.

"Well, I guess until Kyuubi recovers his strength a bit, we're stuck here in this dimension. I wonder how everyone back home is doing after the attack..."

"Naruto-kun..."

"I know, Hinata-chan. There's no way to know for sure until we get back, but I can't help but worry."

"Perhaps you two should rest for now. We can discuss what we do from here tomorrow after breakfast. Sound good?"

Naruto and Hinata both nodded and started to make their way back towards the house, fatigue finally hitting them after the excitement of the evening. Shiki and Akiha followed them inside as they made their way to their own rooms.

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Author's Notes

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_Gomen!_ I apologize once again for how long it took to pump out this relatively short chapter. It's just that work has been kicking my butt recently, so instead of being able to come home and spend a couple hours knocking out a chapter, I'm only able to spend thirty minutes or so writing before I fall asleep at the keyboard! SO ANNOYING! Once I start to merge the stories again, it should pick up, but I make no guarantees... Anyway, R&R please!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	9. Settling In

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Okay! No more apologizing for the time it takes for me to post! I get it! :-P So anyway! I finished both versions of the story and even went back and edited all the old chapters to make the story work out without Rito, but since no one seems to really care one way or the other... I just decided to go with what I've got!

If at a later time, I decide to take him out, I'll probably just repost Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within as a separate story without Rito in it. I've added a few more OCs this chapter, but DON'T WORRY! You won't see them except for in a few chapters throughout the entire story. Think of them as filler characters for now. ^_^

Enjoy!

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Shinjuku – 1 day prior

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Rito and Sayuri were at the bus station holding hands while they waited for Rito's bus to arrive. It was a tour bus that ran on a rotation through half a dozen 'tourist towns' that changed with the seasons. It was also _very_ late and the people in line were getting agitated. A few angry people had already gone to the ticket window and complained, but Rito and Sayuri were in no hurry.

"Looks like your wish came true Sayuri-chan," he said with a grin.

Sayuri lowered her head in embarrassment. "_Gomen_, Ryan-kun... I didn't really mean for your bus to not show up. I just didn't want you to leave..."

Rito simply laughed. "It's fine, it's fine. I enjoy the company. Besides it's not like I prefer the prospect of a long bus ride to spending time with you."

She blushed and turned away to hide her smile. "So, it's only going to be about a week, right?"

"That's what the pamphlet said. I should be back sometime next week unless something unexpected comes up."

She spun back around and grinned widely at him. "Good! I'll be waiting here to meet you when you do! Don't forget to call me if something comes up! It's not polite to make a girl wait you know."

"I know. I'll be sure to call if anything happens. Just make sure you keep practicing at the dojo while I'm gone. I expect to see improvement by the time I get back!"

"Hai!" she exclaimed happily. Then her smile fell suddenly as her eyes locked on to something behind him. He then heard the rumble of a diesel engine and the hiss of hydraulics and knew his bus had arrived. He couldn't help the sigh he let out. People getting on the tour bus started to line up and the noise level started to rise.

"Well, it looks like this is it. Stay safe, okay?" he said while picking up his backpack and sports bag.

"You, too Ryan-kun," she said with a sad smile. He smiled back at her before cupping her chin in his hand and leaning down to kiss her. They stayed that way for a few seconds before he broke it off and quickly turned away. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a wink and a wave.

"_Itekimasu!_"

"_Itterashai!_"

Sayuri watched as Rito walked to the waiting bus and handed his sports bag to the attendant loading the bags underneath before stepping on and out of her sight. He had told her he wasn't big on long farewells. He never specified why, but Sayuri didn't really care. Whether he made a big scene of it or he just gave her a kiss, a wave, and an "I'm off", she was still going to miss him the same.

However, even if Rito had told her that she couldn't come along on the tour, that was _all_ he had specified. So, even though he wasn't visible to her anymore, she still waved happily at the bus as it pulled away from the station as she imagined him doing the same on the inside.

Inside the bus, Rito gave a quick wave to Sayuri before settling himself in for the two hour bus ride to the first town they would be stopping in. At first Sayuri had been sad that he hadn't let her come along, but when he had come out for breakfast the next morning she had seemed like she had no problem with it at all. He was suspicious at the time, but now that he was on the bus, he let himself forget about it.

But something was still tugging at the back of his mind. He just couldn't put his finger on what was bugging him though. '_I'm probably just worrying about nothing..._'

He leaned back and closed his eyes to take a short nap in the comfortable chair. That's when he heard it. The distinctive 'snap' of a camera reached his ears from somewhere close off to his right-front. His brow furrowed in thought. '_There shouldn't be anyone taking pictures this early in the trip._'

He opened his eyes to locate the camera and turned his head slightly. That's when he noticed that the camera was pointed at him from over the seats in front of him. '_What the..?'_

_"_Oh so you finally noticed us, 'Ryan-kun'?" a girl around the same age of Sayuri asked from behind the camera. If fact, the girl was the _exact_ same age as Sayuri. He knew this because Sayuri had introduced him to her and a couple others a few days ago. The others were...

"Heya, Rito-kun! Good to see you again!" the energetic girl next to the shutterbug said giving a quick wave. Rito knew that if these two were here, then that meant that their quiet friend was with them as well.

"Hitori-san. Natsumi-san. Good to see you again. I assume that the person by the window is Kimiko-san, then?" At his question, the girl in question raised her spectacled face above the seat and gave a shy smile.

"_Konnichiwa_, Rito-kun. I trust you're doing well?"

"Couldn't be better. However I _am_ curious to the presence of you three on a tour that none of you should have known about."

Hitori and Kimiko both quickly sat down in their seats and faced the front of the bus, but the tomboyish girl between them simply smiled and gave a saucy wink.

"Yeah, about that. I swiped that pamphlet out of your pocket at Sayuri-chan's house and thought to myself, 'Hey! That sounds like a lot of fun!' Then you had to go and tell Sayuri-chan that she couldn't come, so she made us promise to take lots of pictures for her. It worked out for the best anyway since she had a track meet this coming week and couldn't have come along anyway."

Rito shook his head, not believing that story for a second, then leaned his head back again as he closed his eyes. "Whatever you say, Natsumi-san. Wake me up when we get to the first town, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Rito-kun! Sleep tight!" the tomboy said as she sat back in her seat again.

'_I'll get you back for siccing your friends on me, Sayuri-chan. Just you wait..._' he thought to himself with a smile.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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Naruto lay awake in his bed, unable to get to sleep. It wasn't that he was restless or that the bed was uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, actually. He had learned to sleep anywhere when he was training with Ero-sennin, and the bed he was laying on was the most comfortable he'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping on. The problem was him.

He got up from the bed and quickly got dressed before opening the window and jumping out towards the forest. He jumped aimlessly through the trees for awhile before finally realizing that he didn't have a destination in mind. An image of the Hokage Monument flashed through his mind and he immediately changed directions towards the mountain.

After going as high as he could with his chakra control, he found a ledge and managed to bring himself from walking up a vertical rock face to sitting on a small out cropping by steadying himself with his hands filled with chakra. He leaned back against the mountain and gazed out at the area in front of him. It looked exactly like the area around Konoha. It was then that it finally hit him.

_"_I'm really in a different dimension..."

'**You're just realizing that now, Kit?**' Kyuubi asked sleepily

"Uresai... Hey, how come you never mentioned the reason you hated ninja before?"

'**Because you never asked me before...**'

"Yeah, well isn't it kind of an important thing to mention when your host is a ninja? I mean, I know you already hate the fact that you're sealed inside me, but you hate me double because I'm a ninja, too? Come on!"

'**Kit... I don't hate you. I hate the ones that killed my mate and their ilk. Besides, I think this is a conversation that **_**your**_** mate needs to be in on as well. Don't you agree?**'

"Of course Hinata-chan should be in on this conversation, too. I just didn't want to wake her up because of her injuries. She doesn't heal as fast as I do... Too bad she's back at the mansion..."

"Too bad indeed, Naruto-kun," a voice said from above his head.

Naruto jumped up with a yelp and almost fell off the ledge he was sitting on. "H-h-hinata-chan! What're you doing here?!" '_You could have warned me she was here, kitsune no baka!_'

'**What? And ruin her fun? She's got to be the only person that's snuck up on you in the last year.**'

As Naruto looked above him on the wall, he saw Hinata standing parallel to the ground, smiling down at him with those beautiful pale eyes. "Is that seat taken?"

Naruto moved over a bit and made room for Hinata on the small ledge. He patted the spot next to him and smiled back up at his love. "Not at all. Make yourself comfortable."

She walked down the sheer face at a leisurely pace and sat down next to Naruto. "So what were you two talking about?"

"Nothing in particular. Mostly just Kyuubi telling me I'm an idiot."

Hinata giggled, then poked him in the stomach where she had seen him talking when he was addressing the fox. "Ne, ne, Kyuubi! Don't call my man an idiot! Only I'm allowed to do that!" she exclaimed playfully.

'**Oh, ho! A girl with spunk! I don't know what happened to that shy girl that followed my host around, but I like this new Hinata-chan!**'

"Hey!" they both exclaimed. Then Hinata gasped when she realized what had just happened. Naruto simply looked at her, completely clueless. Then it clicked.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! You heard him?!"

"Y-yeah... but how?"

'**Maybe it's because she's touching you, Kit? It's not like there have been a whole hell of a lot of people touching you when I'm talking...**'

Hinata and Naruto just looked at each other and shrugged. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand that had been poking his stomach and intertwined their fingers as he smiled at her. "I wonder..."

'Can Hinata-chan hear my thoughts when we're holding hands?'

'**Only if you want me to let her. I can act as sort of an 'interpretor' between you two if you're touching.**'

'That's useful... Go ahead and let her so we can try it out. Hey, Hinata-chan! Isn't this cool?'

"Naruto-kun? Wha-"

'In your head Hinata-chan! Try talking in your head! Don't worry about me being able to read your thoughts. It only works with stuff we want to 'say'.'

'Ano... Like this, Naruto-kun?'

'Exactly! Good job, Hinata-chan! Though I'll admit, it's kind of weird talking to you like this...'

"...so we'll just talk like normal unless we have something to say that we don't want others to hear," he finished aloud.

"Okay. So why did you make me chase you way out here in the middle of the night, Naruto-kun?"

"Hehe... Sorry, Hinata-chan. I couldn't sleep and I thought that if I blew off some energy and took some time to think things through that I'd be able to sleep better. Why were you awake anyway? You should still be resting."

"You too, eh? I couldn't sleep either... I keep thinking about everyone back in our dimension. Do you think everyone's okay, Naruto-kun?"

He sighed and looked towards the ground before answering. "I'm pretty sure Baa-san is dead, and I know that Ero-sennin was killed by that snake bastard Orochimaru, but other than that, I have no idea. I'm sure Sakura-chan and Iruka-sensei made it to Sunagakure alright, but I'm worried about the rest of our friends, too."

They both sat there in silence for a few minutes, just leaning against each other and looking out into the night.

"Ne, Kyuubi... how long do you think it'll be before we can go back?" Naruto asked.

'**At this rate, I'd give it about a week or less. I've finally figured out how to mold the chakra properly for that jutsu, so it's easier to recover from using it. Keep your spirits up, Kit. We'll be back in no time. Just you wait.**'

"That's good. Hey Hinata-chan, you ready to head back?"

"Yeah," she replied. They both 'stood' on the side of the mountain together, then Hinata got a mischievous smile on her face. "Race you back!" she yelled as she ran straight down the cliff.

"Hey! No fair getting a head start!"

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Shiki woke up and looked over at the clock by the doorway.

'_Eleven? I wonder what woke me up?_'

He got out of bed and made his way to the window. A blur shot past it towards the forest, followed shortly after by another from the other wing of the house. He opened his window quickly and leaned out to see where they went, but by the time he got his bearings they were already gone.

He assumed that the blurs were Naruto and Hinata, since nobody else in the house could move that fast or jump that high. He wondered what they were doing up this late though...

Shiki threw on some clothes and left his room to wait out back for their return. As he was walking down the hallway, he heard another door creak open behind him. "Shiki-sama?"

Shiki stopped where he was and turned around. "Hisui? I guess you were awake, too?"

"Hai, Shiki-sama. I noticed Naruto-san and Hinata-san's departure as well. I assume you were planning to wait outside for their return?"

"You know me well. I wouldn't mind some company if you plan on staying awake..." he prompted.

Her blush was hidden by the darkness of the hallway, but Shiki knew just the same. "Hai. Would you like me to make some tea?"

"Only if you make some for yourself, too," he said as he smiled at her. "Oh and I thought we talked about you calling me '-sama' when we're alone..."

"I apologize... Shiki... I'll go prepare the tea," she said with a smile as she walked towards the kitchen.

Shiki went outside and brushed some leaves off of the bench on the patio before sitting down himself. He looked over at Naruto's open window and then to where he thought he had seen the two blurs disappear into the forest. He still couldn't believe how fast those two had been going. Their speed had rivaled his own when his 'Nanaya' persona took over.

As he was pondering his guests' abilities, Hisui came out to the patio with the tea tray and set it on the table. She poured them both tea and brought it over to the bench before handing Shiki his and sitting next to him.

They sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence and the clear night air.

Shiki spoke first after finishing his tea and setting it to the side. "How are you enjoying our vacation so far, Hisui?"

"It has been very interesting and unusual to say the least. I imagine things will only be more lively with our guests here, don't you?"

Shiki chuckled lightly as he gazed out into the forest. "Indeed. Do you think they'll be out long?"

Hisui shook her head lightly. "No, Naruto-san and Hinata-san both looked fatigued when Nee-san and I went to check on them after dinner. They shouldn't be gone longer than an hour or so."

"In that case, we should get comfortable while we wait," he said as he put his arm around Hisui's shoulders and lightly pulled her into him.

Hisui blushed deeply, but simply nodded and leaned into his shoulder. They stopped noticing time as they sat there, and after awhile Shiki noticed Hisui's breathing even out and start to snore lightly soon after. He looked down at the red-headed girl next to him and smiled at her cute expression. He resisted the temptation to kiss her, and instead lightly picked up her tea from her lap and moved it next to his cup.

He settled into a more comfortable position while managing not to wake her. Soon after, he felt himself starting to doze off. Then he heard the rustling of leaves from the forest followed by the sound of laughter. He looked up to see Hinata break through the tree line followed closely by Naruto. Both had huge smiles on their faces and were laughing merrily.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched the interplay between the two. He could hear Naruto complaining about 'fairness' while Hinata blew a raspberry at him. Surprisingly, neither of them had noticed them sitting there nor had Hisui woken up, despite the noise. Finally, Naruto looked towards the patio and saw them.

"Oh! I guess we woke you, huh?" he asked quietly, seeing Hisui sleeping. The two ninja walked over and smiled at the two on the bench. "Wow... so I guess you two are...uh..." he trailed off as he raised his right pinkie up and wiggled it.

"_Naruto!_" Hinata exclaimed with a severe expression in a stage whisper, trying not to wake Hisui.

Shiki simply chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. We've been together for a little while now. I guess I should put her back in bed. You two in for the night?" he asked with a grin.

They both had the courtesy to blush in embarrassment. "Yeah. Sorry about that, Shiki. We just needed to get our bearings. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours..."

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. Come on, let's get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We're planning on heading down into the village for the festival."

"Festival? What festival?"

"The Festival of the Fox. This area is known for it's abundance of foxes, you know."

"Huh... Somehow I'm not surprised."

"Now that you mention it, neither am I. Now let's see if I can pull this off without waking her up..." Shiki said while shifting Hisui slightly and picking her up bridal style. Hisui stirred briefly and mumbled something about 'cooking for Shiki' before snuggling closer to him with a smile on her face. "Geez... She must really be tired. I'll take her to her room. Sleep well now, you two!" he said as he started to carry Hisui inside to her room.

The two ninja nodded their heads and bid him good night. Then, hand-in-hand, walked inside themselves.

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Author's Notes

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Chapter 9, complete!

It's all coming together now!

Just a quick note: the way I've got the time frame set up has Rito's side of the story being told at a time relative to Naruto and Shiki's side of the story during that chapter. Hope that helps you not get confused in the next chapter or two.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	10. Festival of the Fox: A Chance Encounter

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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I'd like to thank t.m.p.a for their candid comments regarding both my story and my OC. Now that I've reread the story a couple of times, I've made a decision regarding Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within. I will be continuing this story until it's completion. I will be doing it 'as is', OCs and all. However, once I've completed it, I WILL be going back and doing a complete rewrite minus the OCs and fix several errors/gaps in the early chapters.

So eventually, there will be 2 Mystic Eyes stories out there, but for now I'll be completing my first story.

And while I agree with t.m.p.a on their comment about my OCs being comparable to Naruto filler episodes, I'd like to point out that while the 100 or so filler episodes were annoying as crap, they also had a lot of 'character building'. For example, the Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms is NOT in the manga nor is Hinata even in the manga all that much (less than 10 appearances total throughout the entirety, I think). Without those annoying filler episodes, I seriously doubt NaruXHina would have such a strong fan base as it does right now.

So as a favor to a cherry fanfic author, please take my OCs with a grain of salt and try to look at the early chapters as 'character building'. Rito is going to be sticking around for awhile longer, but the rest of them aren't going to show up again until near the end of the story.

Enjoy!

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Kitsune Village – Present day

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Rito exited the bus in front of the inn with the three tag-alongs close behind him. All three were giving him annoyed glares due to his 'behavior' the previous day. After arriving in the first tourist village, Rito had split off unnoticed and lost himself in the crowded streets almost immediately. He had returned to the bus that night, after thoroughly enjoying himself in the village, to find three very pissed off Japanese girls waiting for him.

He tried to explain to them that he usually did things on his own, but they weren't having any of it. They apparently expected him to follow them around the entire trip; something Rito hated doing. It wasn't a problem if it was just one other person, but following a group around got very boring, very quickly for Rito. So for the two days they were supposed to be in Kitsune Village, the three intended to keep him with them while they enjoyed the festival.

Needless to say, Rito had his own plans.

They all checked in and as luck would have it, the girls got the room right next to his own on the second floor. They 'dropped him off' at his room before making a rush for their own so they could get changed. Kimiko stayed in the hallway to act as a lookout while the other two changed. Not that it mattered to Rito.

He dropped his sports bag on the bed and tightened the straps on his backpack as he made his way to the balcony in the back of the room. He quietly opened the sliding door, so as not to give himself away, and closed it just as quietly once he stepped out. He glanced over the edge of the railing to check the area below for anyone, and once satisfied no one would see him he hopped over the railing while holding on with his left hand. 15 feet was certainly a dangerous height to jump from, but if you knew how to land, you could avoid injuring yourself. The trick was doing it while not making a sound.

Still holding the rail, he slid a bit down the side of the inn until he could only hold on to the 'floor' of his patio. Then, turning to check his landing spot, he kicked off the wall as he let go, doing a backflip into the grassy area behind the inn. He had to bend his knees to absorb the impact of landing and to reduce the sound he made, but he managed to escape without alerting anyone or injuring himself.

He glanced up at his room and the girls' room next to his before quickly making his way around the corner of the building in case one of them decided to check out their own porch right then. As he made his way to the front of the inn, he noticed something red dash along the tree line. He quickly looked to see what it was while reaching for his throwing knives with his right hand.

'_A fox?_' he thought as he finally saw what it was that had caught his eye. The small fox sat at the edge of the forest not twenty feet from where he stood and yipped at him. Seeing that it wasn't a threat, he took his hand away from his holster and smiled. He quickly removed his camera from his jacket pocket and snapped a picture to show the girls later. '_Maybe this'll distract them enough to not give me crap about ditching them again._'

After 'posing' long enough for Rito to take several pictures, the fox yipped again and took off into the forest leading up the mountain. Rito put away his camera and stared into the forest trying to determine where the fox had gone, to no avail. Just as he was thinking that he was wasting time escaping from the inn, he heard a scream from inside the hotel.

"RITO-KUN!!!"

With an amused grin, he quickly made his way into the village to enjoy the festivities.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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"What is that thing?" asked Naruto pointing.

Akiha and Shiki looked over at the blond, surprised at the question. Akiha gave an expression that clearly said 'are you stupid?'.

"That's a _car_, Uzumaki-san. You know, an automobile? Something used to take you from one place to another," she said sarcastically.

He glared at her. "Hey! I've never seen anything like this! We usually walk, run or jump to get where we want to go. Only the Daimyos and Kages get to ride around in carriages and stuff like that. The only thing I've ever seen that was close would be those 'train' or 'airship' things I saw in the Land of Snow."

Akiha looked like she had swallowed her sandal. "I apologize, Uzumaki-san. I keep forgetting that you're not from here..."

"So I guess you'll be riding like 'royalty' today, eh Naruto-san?" Shiki quipped in an attempt to break the tension.

Naruto smiled at him. "Yeah! I guess so, huh? Come on Hinata-chan! I can't wait to get to the festival! Now that I think about it, this'll be the first time we've gone to a festival together, huh?"

Hinata blushed at his words. This was something she'd always wanted to do with him. Unfortunately, the only festival in Konoha had been held on October 10th every year in celebration of the Kyuubi's defeat at the hands of the Yondaime. From what she'd learned during her time dating Naruto, that day had never been pleasant for him as the villagers had usually spent that day ransacking or firebombing his apartment or chasing him around the village in a drunken or half-drunken rage.

It almost seemed like fate that the first festival they went to together was the 'Festival of the Fox'.

"Hai, Naruto-kun, it is. Do you know what you want to do first when we get there?" she asked him. She really wanted him to enjoy the festival since he hadn't really had good experiences in the past.

"Umm... Not really. I was planning on just letting you girls decide what we did. What about you, Shiki?"

He shook his head. "I agree with you, Naruto-san. Festivals like this are a girl's time to be treated like princesses. So they should decide what we do." Naruto gave a foxy grin and nodded in agreement.

All four girls blushed at being referred to as 'princesses'. The thing was, they all looked like it, too.

All were dressed in _yukatas_, though Hinata had to borrow one from Akiha. She was wearing a lavender _yukata_ with a silver daisy pattern while Akiha wore a red one with golden sakura trees all over it. Hisui and Nanaya's _yukatas_ had the same mountain print on them, but Hisui's was jade with gold pattern while Nanaya's was amber with a silver pattern. The girls had spent most of the morning after breakfast getting ready and they all had their hair done up and had makeup on.

Naruto was wearing a pair of jeans and an orange shirt Nanaya had found in one of the storage rooms while Shiki was wearing khaki pants and a blue shirt. The girls had complained, but both guys wanted to save their _yukatas_ for the second day when there would be a fireworks display.

"So shall we get going?"

They all piled into the back of the car and the driver started to make his way down to the village.

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It was a bit before noon when Rito found a spot along the fountain in the town square to sit down and rest for a bit. He'd been having a lot of fun seeing all the stores and playing the games throughout the village. He'd even won some stuffed foxes for the girls from one of the skill stands. He'd gotten the Tag-along Trio small ones and he'd won a large one for Sayuri. He told the man running it that he'd be by later to pick them up.

He had worried that he was going too fast and that he wouldn't have anything to do the next day, but according to one of the shop owners most of the booths changed on the second day unless they had done extremely well on the first day.

"Let's see, what's around to eat?" he asked himself. He had already eaten 'lunch' less than an hour ago, but festivals called for a little splurging. He spotted a caramel apple stand and smiled. "Bingo!" He got up from his spot and made his way through the crowd to get in line. After a short wait, it was his turn. "Two please!"

He paid the vendor and put one in his bag for later and took the other with him back to the spot next to the fountain to eat, putting the bag by his feet.

"Man, I haven't had one of these in awhile. I wonder what kind of apple it is?" he asked himself aloud as he unwrapped it from the plastic.

"_Kaa-san_, that man looks just like the man in the poster! That black jacket is so cool!"

Rito paused in his efforts to look up at the mother and child walking by. The little boy was pointing at him with smile on his face. He was confused for a moment, until he looked over to a poster on one of the bulletin boards the festival had set up around the village.

It was a poster advertising a live action fight performance in the town square at noon. It depicted a large man in black wearing an evil grin as the antagonist while the protagonist was a buff shirtless blond guy. He had spotted a couple of guys who fit that description wandering around together throughout the morning. He pieced his earlier observations together with the poster and came to the conclusion that they were going to be part of the performance.

'_Good timing I guess. Snack and a show! I wonder what fighting styles they're going to use..._'

He finished unwrapping his treat and leaned forward to take his first bite when he was interrupted once again.

"OI! WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?!"

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After arriving at the village, Naruto, Shiki and the girls had gone straight for the shops to get their shopping out of the way. That way they could play the games later in the day when it was warmer. After an hour of shopping and paying for them to be delivered to the mansion, they had grabbed some kabobs from a vendor and made their way towards a couple of game stalls. The first one was the gold fish stand.

Nanaya wanted to get one, so she gave it a shot but couldn't manage to get one in the bag. Shiki and Akiha tried their hands at it as well, but failed miserably. The paper just kept breaking.

"Ugh... I never could get the trick to this," grumbled Shiki.

"Ano, if you want, I could try. I usually do well with this," Hinata offered.

"Sure, Hinata-san. Give it your best shot."

Hinata pushed back her sleeves and took one of the paper scoopers and a bag with water in it. She positioned the scooper close to one of the fish and waited for it to come close. She eased it slowly deeper until it was beneath the fish, then suddenly scooped the fish out of the water right into the bag.

"Yatta! Thank you so much Hinata-san!" Nanaya exclaimed hugging Hinata from behind.

Hinata laughed and smiled at the girl. "It was no problem, Nanaya-san. Just be sure to take care of it, okay?"

"I will!"

"That was great, Hinata-chan! I usually suck at that one," Naruto said with a grin.

"_Arigato_, Naruto-kun..." she said with a blush.

"So where to next?" Shiki asked.

The girls all looked at one another and nodded. As one, all four pointed to a stand down the road that had large fox stuffed animals as prizes. They had only seen a handful of people walking around with them, so winning one was apparently difficult. The group walked up to the stand and saw that it was a ring toss skill booth.

"Damn... No wonder there weren't many people walking around with them. Getting one of those rings on the tops of those bottles is mostly luck," Akiha said with a defeated expression. "I guess we'll try somewhere else."

Naruto just laughed. "Akiha-san, if you buy, I'll get you whichever ones you want. Oi! Old man! What're the rules?"

The vendor raised an eyebrow at the 'old man' comment, but shrugged it off and got on with business. "500 yen for a bucket of 50 rings. If you get a ring on the bottle, you get a small one. If you manage to make 2 on, you can trade in the small for a large."

"Hmm... hey girls, what sizes do you all want?"

Everyone around them except Hinata looked at him like he was crazy. "I'll take a large one, Naruto-kun! It's just about Kyuubi's size and it looks really soft," she said with a smile.

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan! What about the rest of you?"

The other three looked at each other and shrugged.

"Small," Akiha said still looking unsure.

"Small, please, Naruto-sama," said Hisui with a ghost of a smile.

"I want a large one! They're just too cute!" exclaimed Nanaya.

"Okay, so that's two large ones and two small ones. That's a total of six rings I'll need."

The vendor had been listening to the entire conversation with interest. "You sound confident, kid. You really think you can land six in one go?"

"This is gonna be a cinch, _datte bayo_!"

The vendor gave a laugh. "You've got guts kid! I like that! How about I make you a deal? If you can land all six rings on the bottles I point to, I'll give you the prizes for free. How's that sound?"

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really, old man? You've got yourself a deal!"

The vendor handed him six rings and walked over to where the bottles were set out. He thought for a moment, then pointed at one of the easier small mouthed bottles. Naruto promptly tossed the ring and landed it on the indicated bottle. The girls and a couple of spectators cheered for him. Needless to say, the vendor was more than a bit surprised.

"Okay then, kid. Let's kick this up a notch." He pointed at a brown bottle further back, which Naruto landed with ease. This continued until they were down to the last ring, and with each ring the vendor grew more amazed and the crowd grew louder and larger. "Wow. Even that kid from earlier wasn't this good. That guy only made 1 in 10. Okay, no more mister nice guy! Let's see if you can land it on the one right in the middle!"

The bottle in question had a much wider mouth than the rest, but it also had a small sign on it that said 'Bonus'.

"Ne, old man. What's the bonus?"

"You land it and you'll find out, kid."

Naruto eyed the target with care. The bottle was just small enough that a ring could get around the mouth, but only if you aimed perfectly and got the right angle and spin. He tried figuring out the exact angles and velocity in his head, but only succeeded in confusing himself further. Finally he just decided to go with his gut feeling and after taking careful aim, tossed the ring. It flew true and landed perfectly on the 'Bonus Bottle'.

Behind him there was a loud round of applause at the boy's feat.

"Yeah! I nailed it! Yatah! Alright, old man! We had a deal right?" Naruto said excitedly with a grin.

The vendor shook his head in amazement. "Damn kid. No one's ever gotten that bottle." The old man grinned. "You're really something else, you know that? Alright! The stuffed animals are yours free of charge. Unfortunately, the 'bonus' prize is at my house, so you'll have to wait until later to get it. Are you able to stop by later this evening to pick it up?"

"Sure thing! We'll pick up all the prizes later so we won't have to carry them around all day."

Akiha, Nanaya and Hisui nodded their agreement. Hinata, however...

"Ano, do you mind if I get mine now, Naruto-kun?"

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan! Old man?"

"One large fox plush, coming right up!" he said, reaching above his head to get the plush. His sleeves slid up his arms a bit exposing some sort of marking on his left wrist and arm. "Here you go young lady! You've got a fine man there, missy. Hold onto him tight and don't let go, ya hear?"

Hinata blushed and hid her face behind the fox, but nodded nonetheless.

Naruto noticed the marking on the man's arm and tilted his head to the side. "Ne, old man? What's the weird marking on your left arm?"

The man looked down to where his arm had been exposed and gave it a wry grin. "Oh, that's just a crest that has passed down in my family from generation to generation. Nothing special."

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for the plushes! See you later, old man!"

"You lot enjoy the festival now! And don't come back, ya hear?!" the vendor yelled with a large grin.

"Aahhh... that was fun. What next?" Naruto asked as the group walked away.

"Well, seeing as there aren't any more game booths around this part of the village and we've gone to most of the stores already, I suggest we wander towards the square and see if anything is going on over there," Shiki said.

The girls all agreed and the group started walking towards the center of the village while chatting back and forth and window shopping. When they finally reached the square it was almost noon and it looked like a crowd was starting to gather for something near the fountain. A black jacketed figure caught his eye briefly, but he disregarded it as he had seen coats and jackets of all sizes and colors that day.

The girls were all in line for caramel apples while Shiki and Naruto waited near the crowd trying to see what was going on. All of a sudden a child's voice rang out above the rest of the crowd.

"_Kaa-san_, that man looks just like the man in the poster! That black jacket is so cool!"

Naruto followed the sound of the voice and saw a little boy with his mother pointing at the figure he had seen moments before sitting on the edge of the fountain and unwrapping a caramel apple. He would have disregarded it once again, but his eyes locked onto the man's face. It was familiar. Damned familiar.

The man looked confused for a moment, then looked over at something for a moment before an expression of realization crossed his face, followed shortly by excitement. Then the memories hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

_Point Omega. Hinata-chan. Those hateful eyes. Looking into those hateful eyes while two of my clones held kunai to his throat. What the hell is he doing _here_?_

His expression turned feral and he started to growl.

"OI! WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?!"

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Author's Notes

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Chapter 10, complete!

So by show of hands, how many of you saw this confrontation coming? ^_^ j/k I really enjoyed writing this one. It just sort of flowed for me. I think I said most of what I wanted to say up top, so I'll cut the AN short!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	11. Festival of the Fox: Black Vs Orange!

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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I wanted to wait awhile before posting this next chapter to get the suspense up a bit, but this chapter was just so much fun to write that I just HAD to post it! I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!

Enjoy!

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Kitsune Village – Present day

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"OI! WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?!"

Rito's attention shifted from his snack to the furious looking blond in an orange shirt pointing at him. '_What the hell? Is this part of the act or something?_'

He lowered his treat and raised an eyebrow. "You talking to me, kid? Do I even know you?"

"You're damn right you know me, you traitor! How are you even here? There's no way you could have gotten here from Konoha! So how?!" the blond exclaimed as he made a cutting motion with his arm.

Rito was now even more confused. "First off, I've never even heard of anywhere called 'Konoha'. Second, I never forget a face, so I'm _very_ sure that I've never met you in my life. Finally, 'traitor'? Why do you think I'm a traitor?" Rito could sense the boy's anger just by looking at him. '_He seriously believes I'm whoever this traitor is. This could be bad. I need to diffuse this situation as quickly as I can, otherwise this is going to get ugly..._' he thought while standing up from the fountain and walking forward a few steps. Better to be standing when trouble hit.

"I don't wanna hear your lies, traitor! I just wanna know how you got here! So start talking!" The boy next to the blond had backed off a few steps, obviously sensing the same thing as Rito was.

"Hold on, Naruto-san! We don't know the situation yet! Maybe we should lis-"

"Stay out of this, Shiki! This is personal!" the blond growled at his companion.

"Naruto-kun! What's going on?! You're making a scene!" a raven haired girl with white eyes exclaimed, running up behind the blond holding one of the fox plushes from the skill stand. Two red-heads and another raven haired girl were close behind her. Rito swore the girl's hair had a blue tint to it and just figured eye color meant the girl must be partially blind or something, but ignored those inconsistencies for the time being in favor of the furious boy in front of him.

"I don't know how, but _that_ guy is here somehow!" the blond yelled, pointing again at Rito.

"What gu-," she started, turning her head to see where he was pointing. Then a look of surprise crossed her face as she saw Rito. "R-rito-san? What are you doing here? How did you get away from point Omega?" she asked holding her hand to her mouth in astonishment.

"That's all the confirmation I need. Hinata-chan has the best eyes in the village, so if she remembers you, then I know I wasn't wrong," Naruto said as he took out a small dagger from behind his back and held it in front of him. "So start talking or I'm gonna beat you into a pulp!"

'_Shit! How does that girl know my name? What the hell is 'point Omega'? This just got way out of hand. I don't know what kind of knife that is, but he's holding it like he knows what he's doing. I have to take him seriously..._'

"Believe me when I say that I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Ojou-san. This is a huge misunderstanding. I don't know how you know my name, but if your friend there doesn't put that knife of his away, I'll be forced to take him out if he attacks me."

"You wish! I'm gonna take you out!" the blond yelled as he threw the knife straight at him and charged, fully expecting Rito to drop the facade and fight like the ninja he knew the man was.

'_Fuck! Can't dodge or it'll hit the people behind me!_' He used the only thing at hand to block the attack as he jumped back to give himself some space. He tossed the caramel apple with the knife sticking out of it to the side and took his style's stance. He wasn't fighting to protect himself anymore. He had to protect everyone around who thought all of this was part of some show from the reckless boy's antics, too.

"Naruto-kun! Be careful! Don't hurt the people around you!"

The blond stopped his charge and turned to look at the girl with the white eyes. "Huh? This is a fight! Why aren't they all running?" he asked, confused by the crowd that was starting to gather.

Rito answered him in a stage whisper that barely carried over the noise of the crowd. "Idiot! They think this is part of some show! Look! We look like the guys on the poster, so they think this is all an act!" he said pointing over his shoulder at the poster on the bulletin board.

Naruto looked to where the man in black was pointing and read the poster, looked back to Rito and gave him a feral grin. "Well, I guess we'll just have to give the people what they came here to see, won't we? Don't get knocked out too quickly!" he yelled while holding his hands in front of him with his index and middle fingers in a cross shape. "Kage bushin no jutsu!"

To the left and right of him appeared five dopplegangers of the blond in poofs of smoke, all wearing the same expression.

"What the hell?" Rito exclaimed in surprise, dropping his stance for a moment. The copies took advantage of his lapse and charged in.

'_Crap! I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going down without a fight!_'

He dodged underneath the first punch thrown at him while grabbing the copy's throat at the same time. He stepped forward and slammed the back of the copy's head into the face of another and letting go. To his surprise both copies disappeared in the same manner they had appeared: a poof of smoke.

'_They're not even real? But they're solid at the same time... ARGH! I'll think about this later! They can be beaten easily, so I just need to concentrate!_'

He blocked the punches from two of the copies with his hidden arm guards, and had to jump back once again to avoid the copy sliding up in front of him trying to take out his legs.

'_Damn, they're really coordinated! Gotta end this quickly!_'

As soon as he got his footing once again, Rito charged forward and grabbed the copy who was trying to get to his feet. He spun the copy around and threw him at the real blond, who hadn't moved since calling these copies, while using the spin to throw a roundhouse at another copy coming up from his left. The real blond caught the copy and helped it to regain it's feet while Rito's attack sent the other copy flying into the fountain before it too disappeared. The final copy came from behind and put him into a Nelson hold.

"Gotcha!" the copy exclaimed.

"Not for long," Rito said, no trace of worry evident in his voice. He leaned forward and popped his hips into the copy's stomach and used the momentum to flip it over him. The clone held on for dear life, but did so at it's own demise. With it not releasing the hold, yet being on the ground in front of it's opponent, Rito simply kicked the copy in it's back.

A sickening crack could be heard before the copy disappeared, finally allowing Rito to stand upright once again. Returning his attention to the two remaining blonds, he raised an eyebrow again.

"That's an interesting taijutsu style you've got there, traitor. Seems rather brutal. But I guess that'd be perfect for a backstabber like you, wouldn't it?" the real Naruto taunted.

"Interesting parlor tricks, Blondie. What the hell is 'taijutsu' anyway? If you're talking about my martial arts style, it's brutal because it's designed to protect myself and others against a large amount of opponents. I'd use karate or muay thai instead, but the way that you're attacking me is exactly what my personal style was made for."

"Doesn't matter. This next attack will put you down for the count," he said as the copy took a position behind him as the real one put his right hand out. The copy started to quickly jab at the open hand with his own palms open and Rito did a double take at the blur of blue and white that was starting to appear in the boy's hand.

'_What the hell is with this kid? He's surprised me more times in this fight than anybody has in the last five years!_'

Within seconds, the boy's attack was ready and the copy charged with alarming speed leaving the real one standing with a glowing blue orb in his hand. Rito's instincts kicked in and he threw a flying knee at the copy coming at him, striking it in the chin and sending it into the air where it disappeared. He returned his attention at last to the real blond who was also charging, albeit slower than his copy.

By the way he had his arm cocked back, Rito could tell the strike would be a underhanded thrust and immediately changed his stance to the tai chi beginning stance, the stance from which every move in tai chi can be performed: left foot forward, right foot back, right arm forward with it bent forty-five degrees, and left arm forward slightly lower than the right with it bent bent at ninety degrees.

As he expected, the blond swung the orb at him with an underhanded thrust. Rito stepped forward and left while grabbing his wrist with his right hand and rotating clockwise to strike the blond's triceps with his left hand. Off-balanced, Naruto was quickly brought down onto his face. Rito put his knee into the boy's shoulder and took one of his throwing knives out and put it the the blond's throat.

"This fight is over. Get rid of whatever that thing is before I end you permanently."

"NARUTO-KUN! LET HIM GO!" the white-eyed girl screamed as she activated her bloodline and dashed forward, leaving the fox plush on the ground where she had been standing. The other boy that tried to stop the blond also had a knife out while the two red heads and the raven haired girl had their hands over their mouths in fear.

"Hinata-chan! Stay back!" the blond yelled. Hinata skidded to a halt halfway to where the two combatants were.

He knew that he could overpower the older man, but doing so in this position would require the fox's help. If the crowd thought this was a show, they would be in danger if he used it. So he did the only logical thing he could; he released the energy in his Rasengan.

"Wise choice, Blondie. I don't want to kill you, especially in front of your girlfriend, but I will if you don't calm the fuck down right the hell now." The blond stopped struggling underneath Rito.

"Good. Now if you're calm enough to talk, I'll let you up. This whole thing is a big misunderstanding, but if you insist on attacking me, I'll end you just so that I don't have to deal with the trouble of you continuously bothering me. Now do you think you can behave yourself? I want to get out of here before the Tag-along Trio shows up."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked Rito in the eyes as he nodded. Rito removed the knife from his neck and returned it to it's holster on his thigh as he stood and backed away from the blond, allowing him to pick himself up off the ground.

"Yo, stand at the ready and bow. We need to make this seem rehearsed. Right, mister 'give the people what they came here to see'?"

Naruto gave a wry grin as he turned to face Rito and bowed. Rito returned the bow and the crowd roared it's approval at the 'show' they'd witnessed. Hinata rushed to Naruto and sent a glare at Rito. Rito simply returned the glare to both of them. "Knock it off. Remember that it was Blondie here that attacked _me_. By the way, you owe me a caramel apple for the one I used to block that dagger of yours. Oh and Blondie?"

Naruto turned around from where he had bent to pick up his knife, leaving the apple where it lied.

"Work on your hand-to-hand. You really sucked..."

"You say this is a misunderstanding, but if you're not a ninja how did you manage to beat Naruto-kun so easily?" Hinata asked the giant.

"Ninja? As in the shinobi assassins of the fuedal era?"

"Not quite, but similar. You still didn't answer my question, Rito-san. You have weird kunai in the holster on your right thigh and a larger knife in your left boot, but you didn't use them at all until the end. Oh and those wrist guards under you jacket, too. You didn't even use any jutsu! So how were you able to defeat him so easily?" Hinata said with annoyance as Naruto rejoined his girlfriend.

"Hinata-chaaaan... You don't have to say it like that," the blond said with a pout.

"I don't know what a 'jutsu' is, but your boyfriend sucks at hand-to-hand and it was easy to read his movements. I don't know what the blue orb was, but I sure as hell knew I didn't want to be hit by it. Blondie telegraphed the move way too much for me not to take advantage," Rito explained as if it should have been obvious.

"You don't know what jutsu are? Wait a minute..."

Hinata gave him a thorough inspection with her Byakugan active before tilting her head and giving him a questioning look. "You don't have a chakra network. So that means you're really _not_ the same Rito that we know..." she trailed off, as she deactivated her bloodline.

A voice from behind the couple spoke up. "I was afraid of this... (Sigh) Look, let's get out of this crowd and go somewhere more private to discuss this. I think that if anyone heard what we were about to talk about, they'd try to admit us. As it stands now, I think we're going to need somewhere to sit down and have a drink. Talking about space-time distortions is enough to give anyone a headache," Shiki said, holding one hand on his hip and looking exasperated.

Rito could hear yelling from the far side of the square and he felt a chill down his spine. "Actually, I think I'll meet up with you guys later. I need to disappear for awhile. Meet me at the ring toss stand at 6 tonight!" he said in a panic.

"What? Why can't we talk right now?" Naruto asked, annoyed not only at the fact that he'd practically had his ass handed to him by a civilian, but also because it was Rito that said he'd wanted to talk.

"I just really need to go. Like _now_," he said getting more anxious.

"You still haven't said why, though."

"Look Blondie... I just _really_ need to get out of here befo-"

"Rito-kun! Is that you?!"

Everyone except Rito looked towards the fountain where a trio of girls in _yukatas_ were trying to make their way through the crowd. When they turned back to Rito to ask him if he knew them, they found the spot where he had been empty.

"Dammit! Where'd Rito-kun get off to now? I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'm going to kick his ass!" yelled the tomboyish girl who had been calling for Rito. She turned to Naruto's group. "Excuse me, you didn't happen to see where the big guy in black went, did you?"

They all answered in the negative, not sure what to make of the trio. "Damn... guess we'll just have to keep hunting. Thanks anyway!" she said with a smile as she turned to leave.

"I guess we know why he disappeared like he did now," Akiha said with amusement in her voice.

Nanaya giggled. "It seems Rito-san was trying to avoid those three girls. I didn't even hear him move."

"Thats what really bugs me. I mean, we're trained ninja, but this_ civilian_ not only kicks my butt in taijutsu, but he's also the most stealthy person I've ever met in either of our worlds. Let's see if we can track him down," said Naruto.

They all looked around for the black-clad giant, but no matter where they looked, they couldn't spot him. Hinata finally reactivated her bloodline and spent several minutes sweeping the surrounding blocks. Finally, after pushing her range out several times and still not being able to find him, she deactivated her eyes and shook her head.

"He's gone. He's nowhere within a half-mile radius of the square. I could try to keep searching for him as we see the rest of the festival, but I think it would be easier just to meet him at the ring toss stand later. We have to go there later to pick up the rest of the fox plushes and get your 'bonus' prize anyway."

"Yes, that would probably be the best course of action," said the usually silent Hisui. "If we spent the rest of our day searching for someone that doesn't want to be found, it would only serve to ruin the experience for everyone," she said with a light blush. Hisui wasn't comfortable around large groups of people, but for some reason being here with her lover, sister, Akiha, and even the two ninja made the experience bearable, enjoyable even. She also didn't want the festival to be ruined for Shiki if she could help it.

Naruto sighed, then shrugged his shoulders before smiling at Hisui. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Hisui-san. Let's go! We still haven't seen the west side of the village yet!" he yelled as he led the way to the other side of the square. The rest of the group followed behind the loud blond with smiles on their faces, all of them determined to continue having a good day. Except one.

Hinata knew that Naruto's enthusiasm was just a mask. She had seen him use that same expression countless times at the Academy and throughout the village whenever he was trying to hide something that was bothering him. She knew he was mentally going over the fight trying to figure out where he'd messed up and dwelling on the fact that Rito had defeated him inside of five minutes. It reminded her of that mission in Rock Country when he'd been defeated by that swordsman bounty hunter.

She wanted to go and comfort him and tell him not to worry about the fight, but she knew that it wouldn't help him. He was the kind of person that wouldn't let something like this go until he'd settled the matter on his own unless drastic measures were taken. So instead she just walked to his side and wrapped her arm around his and leaned into his shoulder as they walked.

Naruto was surprised by the action, bringing him out of his mental ranting. Then he smiled down at his white-eyed beauty of a girlfriend and decided he was letting it get to him too much. He should be trying to enjoy himself!

"Done dwelling yet, Naruto-kun?" she asked without looking up.

Naruto snorted with a smile. "Yeah, I think I'm good. Thanks Hinata-chan. I don't know which kami I pleased to deserve you, but I'm gonna do my best not to piss it off."

The blush on Hinata's face reached epic shades. She quickly redirected his attention by pointing at a stand. "Hey, let's check that stand out, Naruto-kun!"

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan! Come on guys!" he yelled to the rest of the group, who had been hanging slightly back to let Hinata work her magic on Naruto.

Akiha and Shiki exchanged a look out of the corner of their eyes. "They really are perfect for each other, don't you think?" Shiki asked his sister as an aside.

"Or at least she's good for him. She's able to read his moods so easily and calm him down. It's hard to believe that they've only been together for a few weeks."

Nanaya giggled. "I think Hinata-chan has had her eyes set on Naruto-san for a lot longer than that. From the way she described it, she's been watching him for the better part of seven years. Since they both joined the 'Academy' I think she said."

Shiki chuckled. "Talk about tenacity. Girl knew what she wanted and didn't stop until she got it. Come on girls, let's catch up or they'll start wondering what we're talking about back here," he said as he grabbed Hisui's hand and started to walk faster with the blushing girl in tow.

Akiha sighed at the other couple. She was happy that her Nii-san was happy, but at the same time jealous of the other girl. It wasn't that Shiki ignored her or anything, it was simply her wanting the affections of the one she'd loved for so many years. She knew how Hinata must have felt in her youth.

To watch the object of your affections for so long, not able to tell them your feelings, hoping one day they would notice and accept you. She was truly happy for both couples, but at the same time lonely. She noticed Nanaya looking at her worriedly and mentally shook herself from her thoughts, schooling her features to impassivity. "Come, Nanaya. We shouldn't fall behind."

"Hai, Akiha-sama."

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Rito caught his breath in an alleyway a little over a half mile away from the village square.

'_Damn that was close. Almost got caught..._'

After he'd rested for a minute, he decided he should lay low for awhile until he was sure he hadn't been followed. He walked out into the street and rejoined the crowd walking towards the edge of town. He spotted a tavern and decided to head there. The Tag-along Trio were underage, so they shouldn't be able to find him in there.

Upon entering, he realized that it wasn't just any tavern. There were families all over inside enjoying the food and drink the tavern provided. He mentally shrugged and went to sit in a booth near the rear of the building. He saw the back door about fifteen feet away from where he sat, so he knew he could disappear quickly if he needed to. After putting his order in, he sat back and started to think about the fight.

After a few minutes, he started to get a headache. "Dammit..." '_This isn't getting me anywhere... I'll just wait until later. No point dwelling on shit I don't understand._'

So decided, he relaxed and waited for his snack to arrive, leaving thoughts about what would happen later to the wayside.

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Author's Notes

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Another chapter finished! Let me know what you think! ^_^

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	12. Festival of the Fox: Answers & Questions

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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First thing's first. I'm in dire need of a beta. My original beta had to bail on me around chapter 3, and I never got around to replacing her. However, I REALLY want to finish this story well. Therefore consider this a call for any beta readers out there to send me a PM if you're interested in beta reading Mystic Eyes and another fic I'm working on. Don't worry; I'm not abandoning this story. It's a SasuSaku fic that my wife requested I write.

I did a little research when a friend of mine told me something was off with my story. Turns out he was right. So I went back to chapter 10 and changed my screw up. See if you can find it. ^_^ It's small, but I thought it was important enough to go back and change.

I plan to go back and rewrite this story to fix the errors I know are there and to streamline the storylines a bit. So again, PLEASE PM me or leave a note in your comment if you're interested.

Enjoy!

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Kitsune Village – Present day

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Rito wandered the streets for several hours after he deemed it was safe to 'come out' from his hiding spot in the tavern. He managed to enjoy the rest of the festival without running into the Tag-along Trio or 'Blondie's' group and still had about an hour before he was supposed to meet up with the latter.

'_Guess I'll head there early. It probably wouldn't hurt to upgrade those plushes to the large ones to make up for dodging them again in the square..._'

Nodding to himself, he made his way to the ring toss stand.

As he approached, he noticed that no one was stopping at the stand and that the owner was looking a bit down. "Good afternoon. How's business?" Rito asked with a smile.

The owner looked up with surprise. "Oh, it's you again! Perfect timing! Would you mind doing me a huge favor?"

Rito glanced at the man warily.

"Depends on what it is. I'm more than happy to help as long as it's something I'm able to."

"Great! Would you mind watching the stand for twenty minutes? I need to run home and pick up a special prize for the blond kid that landed a ring on the 'Bonus' bottle."

"Uh... sure. No problem." '_Blond kid? There's no way... Wait... never mind. I won't even _think_ that. The way this day's been going, anything is possible..._'

The owner smiled and came out from behind the counter. "Thanks! I'll be back in a flash! Take care of the place while I'm gone!" With that, the man made his way into the crowd and disappeared.

Rito hopped over the counter and turned to look at the crowd passing by. Noticing plenty of children and couples, he got an idea that was bound to bring in business. Removing his jacket and arm guards, leaving him with his tank top undershirt and black jeans, placing them under the counter, he reached up and grabbed one of the small plushes and placed it on his head like a hat. The legs of the plush fit snugly around his head and kept it in place.

'_As long as I don't move around energetically, it should stay in place. Alright, time to bring in the crowd!_'

Spotting a couple of teenagers walking together, he put his plan into action. "Young lady! Wouldn't you like a cute little fox plush of your own to commemorate your date at the 'Festival of the Fox'? Only 250 yen for 50 rings! Sir! This should be a breeze for an intelligent young man like yourself! Landing one ring gets you a small and two smalls can be traded for a large!"

The young couple made their way over and people who had been passing close enough to hear had started to make their way over to see what all the commotion was about.

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"Calm yourself, Uzumaki-san. I'm sure you'll get your answers soon enough. You need to be patient."

Naruto shot the raven-haired girl a glare over his shoulder as he tried to make his way through the crowd towards the ring toss stand. There was still about five minutes before the designated time to meet the elusive Rito and Naruto's earlier annoyance had returned with a vengeance.

"We've been 'patient' for six hours! I want answers now, dammit!" he growled out, still having trouble pushing through the large crowd in front of the stand. "Besides that, why is there such a large crowd in front of only _this_ stand?!" he asked in frustration.

"Is there some sort of special promotion going on?" Shiki wondered aloud.

"I don't know. I'm more worried about how we're going to find that guy Rito in all this," Naruto grumbled.

"Ano, maybe looking for the tallest person in the crowd? Rito-san was about two meters tall, so he should tower above everyone else," Hinata said while scanning the crowd.

"Ugh! I can't see all the way to the front, but no one looks to be the right height. Hinata-chan, maybe you should use your Byakugan to search like before?"

She nodded and silently activated her bloodline. She found Rito within seconds, though she was surprised where he was. "He's running the ring toss stand!"

The entire group turned to look at the lavender-eyed girl in surprise. "Running the stand?" Shiki and Naruto asked simultaneously. The looked each other in the eye and nodded in silent agreement.

"Girls, grab onto us. We're going to push our way to the front," Shiki said with determination in his voice. The four girls grabbed onto the back of the two boy's shirts and held on tightly as Naruto and Shiki pushed and shoved their way through, ignoring the complaints of those around them.

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'_Jeez... this is what I get for opening my big, fat, charismatic mouth._'

Within minutes, the crowd surrounding the stand had grown exponentially. Nothing like an unannounced special to gather a crowd. Word had spread fast through the crowd that the ring toss booth was having a 'half-price special' for one hour only! And of course everyone knows that there's no better advertisement than word-of-mouth.

Which left him in his current predicament.

He had a large crowd to serve, but not enough hands to take the money, refill the buckets and keep an eye on who got rings on the bottles. Needless to say, he was overwhelmed and a little pissed off.

'_Where's that old man at? He was supposed to be back half an hour ago! When I see him again..._'

He heard a cheer off to his left as a girl squealed at her boyfriend's success. Rito kept his smile plastered on his face as he walked over to the couple. "We have a winner! Keep going! You've still got half the bucket left! Shoot for the large!" he encouraged in a booming announcer's voice.

The young man had an excited smile on his face as he nodded at Rito and continued to toss the rings. Rito reached up and grabbed a small plush and handed it to the girl next to him. He heard angry complaints coming from the right and looked over to see what the commotion was. Upon seeing a head of spiky blond hair, he quickly made his way over to the other side to intervene before he had a riot on his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please let the man through! He's not trying to cut you, so please make way!" At his words, the crowd calmed down and parted for Naruto and his group. "Good. You guys are here. Naruto-san, wasn't it?"

The blond nodded with a scowl. "Yeah, and I want some answers! Ho-"

"Not now, Blondie. You and your pal are being press-ganged into service until the old man gets back with your 'Bonus' prize. So shut up and help me. We'll talk after we get rid of this crowd," Rito said as he reached over the counter and dragged Naruto over. He gave Shiki a look that said 'get over here before I drag you over, too.'

Shiki sighed and mantled over the counter. Rito nodded and sent a smile to the girls who were with them.

"Ladies, if you would be so kind to go around to the side of the stand for a bit, I promise you we'll be done here in a hurry," he said. The girls all gave him a nod and made their way to the side.

"Alright, you two. The 'half-price special' is only going on for another ten minutes, so for now just deal. Glasses, you're on bucket fill-up duty. Blondie, you're up front with me taking money and handing out prizes."

Naruto looked like he wanted to argue, but Shiki stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. The blond sighed and turned to the crowd, throwing on his 'cheerful' mask. "Oi! Oi! Who's next in line? Step right up and test your skill!"

Shiki went behind the platform of bottles with a stack of empty buckets and started to fill them up. Seeing that they were cooperating, Rito turned to the crowd himself. "Ten more minutes folks! Just TEN more minutes left in the 'half-price special!' Just 250 yen for fifty rings!"

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"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, that's it folks! That concludes the special for the day!" At these words, the crowd groaned and started to disburse. "Today's special has been brought to you courtesy of Express Worldwide Couriers, Inc.! Need to get something to the other side of the world? Guaranteed 24-hour delivery time from the time of pickup or your money back!"

Nothing like a little shameless self-advertising to cap off Rito's day.

"We'll be closed for a fifteen minute breather while we restock and resupply! Come back and see us when we open again!" It was a lie, but Rito couldn't think of any better way to get rid of everyone so he could sit and talk with Naruto and his group.

Everyone who had stayed, wanting to keep trying, immediately put away their money and made their way to other stands. Wasting no time, Rito went behind the platform to help out Shiki with filling the empty buckets. "Okay Naruto-san, ask away while we have a minute to ourselves."

Akiha, Hisui, Nanaya and Hinata came around to the front of the stand once the crowd had left so they could be in on the conversation, too.

Naruto was surprised at how quickly Rito had switched from 'salesman' to 'serious' while still working, but shook it off and started asking questions.

"Okay, first off: who are you?"

"My name is Rito Ryan. I'm an American businessman here on vacation. I'm currently on a sightseeing tour with a trio of tag-alongs; friends of my girlfriend. Next."

"Businessman? I've never seen a 'merchant' that could fight like that. So how'd you beat me in that fight?"

Rito sighed before giving Naruto a look from around the side of the platform that said 'are you stupid?'. "Things aren't always what they seem... and like I said before, you suck at hand-to-hand combat, your little parlor trick copies attacked me in a way that my fighting style was designed to combat, and your final attack was so easy to read that I could have dodged it in my sleep. Next."

Naruto growled at the man as he came around from the back of the platform with an armful of full buckets. Naruto was famous in Konoha for being an unpredictable, close-in brawler. So the fact that this stranger was telling him otherwise pissed him off to no end, especially after he had effectively wiped the floor with him. A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Hinata with a worried expression on her face and he calmed himself down.

Getting angry wasn't going to get him answers.

"Alright. Seeing as you beat me, I can't really argue the point. That just means I need to train more. Next question. How did you disappear like that in the square earlier? I never even heard you move!"

Rito stood up after he finished putting the full buckets under the counter and looked at Naruto with a hard expression.

"I didn't have the best childhood. As an orphan on the streets, I made a living off of picking pockets and shoplifting for the better part of eight years. I learned the hard way that if you got caught, you got the crap kicked out of you or the cops called on you. I learned how to get away from people without them noticing early in life. There's a reason I don't have a criminal record."

During his explanation, all six of the teenagers that were listening dropped their jaws. Everyone except Naruto turned their eyes to the ground, feeling bad for the man, but not knowing what to say.

Naruto however...

"I can understand that. I never stole to survive, but I know what it's like trying to get away from people that would sooner beat you to death than look at you. Hell, I'd have preferred it if having to steal food was the worst of my problems."

Rito looked the blond directly in the eyes. He could see by his expression and stance exactly how much the boy had been through in his life. He nodded in understanding.

"I can see that you had a much harder childhood than myself, Naruto-san. I won't pry.

"However, it's my turn now. First off, just by looking at you and that girl over there, I can tell that you're not normal. Those markings on your face look like whiskers and her eyes are pale even though she's not blind in the least. Even your pal with the glasses is weird."

Shiki looked up in surprise. Rito just snorted at his expression.

"Yeah, I can tell. I'm a thief by nature, remember? I notice little stuff others don't. Even as big as they are, there's no distortion in the view through your glasses at all. Which means they're just for show. Or at least not used to improve your eyesight. And odds are if the three of you are unusual, then they also have unusual characteristics that aren't as obvious as yours."

He turned his gaze upon Naruto once again.

"Also, for some reason, you mistake me for some other guy that, according to you, has the exact same name as me and looks exactly like me. You also claim that this person hails from somewhere named 'Konoha.' A place no one I've talked to has ever heard of. So tonight's million dollar question is: What. The. Fuck?"

"Now, now, young man. I don't think you should use that kind of language around the ladyfolk."

All eyes turned to the owner of the stand who had come up on them without anyone noticing. It was almost as if he had appeared by magic.

Rito grimaced. "It's about time you got back. What happened to 'twenty minutes'?"

"Well, you were doing so well on your own, I thought I'd just sit back and enjoy the show from the diner across the street," he said with an amused grin.

"Wait... you mean...?"

The older man chuckled. "I've been watching this whole time."

Rito wanted to be angry, but just couldn't work himself up to it. The more he thought about it, the funnier the situation was to him. After a few seconds he started to chuckle softly, eventually working up to a full-bellied laugh.

"I can't say that I blame you! Here," Rito handed over the stack of bills from the till under the counter. "I think I brought in triple the amount you already made today in that hour. A little marketing goes a long way, don't you agree?"

"Sure, sure. I appreciate the help. Thanks to you, I won't have to work even half as hard tomorrow. So I guess you're not gonna do all those horrible things to me that you were planning in your mind?" he asked with a grin.

"Naw... I think I'll let it slide this once. You know; businessman to businessman," he replied, still grinning.

"Glad to hear it, son. Now for _you_, young man," he said turning his attention to Naruto.

"Ano-sa, ano-sa, old man! Do you have my prize?" the blond asked excitedly, seemingly forgetting the previous conversation with Rito. Hinata and Nanaya giggled at his antics while Akiha had a shadow of a smile on her face.

"I sure do. But before I give it to you, I have to explain something," the man said, his expression turning serious. "You were chosen to win the 'Bonus' long before this festival was even conceived."

Every face showed shock at those words. Rito recovered first. "Mind explaining that one, jii-san?"

Hinata and Naruto exchanged confused looks with each other, as did Akiha and Shiki and Hisui and Nanaya. The only one present not confused...

'_**Kit, the box he's holding... I know that aura.**_'

'_Kyuubi? You know, I'm truly starting to believe that you're the cause of all the problems in my life..._'

'_**Hey! You can't blame me for that Rito guy. That one's on kami...**_'

'_Yeah, but so is Hinata-chan. So I'll call it even for now._'

'_**Whatever, Kit... Anyway, you can't blame me for this one either. I'm surprised you don't recognize the feeling considering what happened just yesterday.**_'

'_Huh? I don't feel anything... And what does what happened yesterday have to do with what's in the box?_'

'_***sigh* Kit, I won't even bother trying to explain it to you. It'd just be a waste of my time. Just listen to the old man, will ya'?**_'

"Naruto-kun? Are you okay?"

He flashed a quick grin at his girlfriend.

"I'm fine, Hinata-chan. Just trying to figure out what our furry friend is getting at."

'_**Hey!**_'

"Huh? Oh yeah, the fox plush!" Rito exclaimed as he removed to plush from his head. "Almost forgot about that," he said abashed.

"Uh... yeah! Wouldn't want to forget that, right?" Naruto said quickly to cover his slip-up.

He turned his attention back to the old man, who was looking at the blond uncomfortably. "Well? How was I 'chosen' to win this prize before I even came to this place?"

The owner sighed, and then hardened his expression. "I know this is going to sound strange, but here goes nothing: Does the term 'Destined Child' mean anything to you?"

Naruto stiffened. "How do you know about that?"

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"I thought as much. Man... I never would have guessed that it would be me doing this. Okay, I'll start from the beginning.

"My family has been in the glassmaking business for centuries. The males were raised in the workshop, learning the trade from their father from the time they were able to walk and talk. They made the finest glass in 5 prefectures. But in my great-grandfather's time, a trusted friend of the family stole our techniques and ran him out of business.

"He passed away shortly after from malnutrition as he starved himself to feed his family. My grandfather grew up never learning the craft that had been our family's sole source of income for generations. He eventually became a wandering merchant and settled in this town after he started his own family.

"One day an old man came into his shop and recanted a prophecy that a clairvoyant had told him:

'_You will entrust your greatest creation to a wanderer living in a village deep in the mountains. That one's descendant will eventually pass it to the "Destined Child", one already chosen by _kami_ to save his own world. That child will have the ability to use this item of great power, yet will lack the desire to do so. The child will entrust the item to another as well: its final master. The child will be forced to choose between two who have both the ability and the desire to use it, but giving it to either will mean his death..._'

"Morbid... So how exactly was I 'chosen' again?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Well for one, the bottle has an enchantment on it. I don't know the particulars of it, but the old man who gave my grandfather this box said that only ones destined to possess the item inside the box could touch or affect the bottle in any way. Honestly, I would have given the prize to you if you had even _hit_ the bottle. Every other time someone's thrown a ring at it, it would be repelled by some unseen force and never touch it."

Rito raised an eyebrow before turning around and walking over to the stand of bottles. He reached towards the middle in an attempt to grab the bottle in question, but his hand stopped mere centimeters away. "Huh... an 'enchantment' was it?"

He put his hand on his hip and turned his attention back to the group. "You know, when I woke up this morning, I never would have guessed even half the things that happened today," he paused in thought for a moment, his expression amused. "Okay, now I've got to know; what's in the box?"

"I honestly don't know. I could never get it to open. All that my father told me was that when it's true owner claimed it, they would know what to do with it." He turned to Naruto once again. "Here, kid. It's yours."

Naruto took the box from the man and turned it over to see how it opened. '_Okay, Kyuubi. What is this thing and how do I open it?_'

'_**It's a box and you open it by lifting the lid. I know you're the village idiot and all that, but I never knew it was this bad, Kit.**_'

'_Ha. Ha. Very funny, fuzz butt. Seriously, how do I get it open?_'

'_**Just focus some chakra into it. If that doesn't work, just hit it with a Rasengan. The item inside shouldn't be affected.**_'

'_Gee, thanks..._'

Though annoyed, Naruto followed Kyuubi's instructions and focused some chakra into the box. It clicked. Everyone crowded around him to get a look at what was inside. When he opened it, all that was there was a necklace. He lifted it out of the box and inspected it while placing the box on the counter.

"It looks like the one that Baa-chan gave me, except that it's clear instead of green." He immediately pulled the necklace he wore from under his shirt and compared them. They were identical except for the color.

He remembered the words that Ero-sennin had spoken all those years ago when he had bet Tsunade he could learn the Rasengan in a week.

'_Gaki! That necklace belonged to the Shodai. There are only two like it in the whole world. If you sold that, you could buy a pair of gold mines and the mountains on top of them._'

"Only two like it in the world..." he said softly. He knew that the Shodai's necklace had allowed the Hokage to control the power of the bijuu, making him the most powerful ninja of his day. But this other necklace was a mystery.

"It's beautiful, Naruto-kun," Hinata said with wonder in her eyes. He made a decision right there.

"If you like it, then you can hold onto it for me. I've already got one, so now we'll match!" He quickly put it over her head before she could respond. It fell around her neck and the jewel came to rest on her _yukata_. The jewel refracted the colors of her outfit, making it look like a kaleidoscope.

As soon as it was around her neck, she could feel the power it held. She gasped when she finally realized what it was. "Naruto-kun! This is..."

"Don't worry about it Hinata-chan. I trust you to keep it safe," he said, still grinning.

"No, that's not it, Naruto-kun. This necklace... It feels the same as yesterday."

Naruto looked very confused now. "Huh?"

She took off the necklace and put it around his neck. "Here. See what I mean?"

Naruto _finally _understood what Kyuubi and Hinata were talking about. Everyone else was just plain confused.

"Ne, old man! Do you know the name of the guy who gave this to your grandfather?"

The owner just smiled. "I was wondering when you would ask. I believe it was Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg if I remember correctly."

'_I knew it! It's that old guy you were talking to yesterday!_' He looked at everyone else excitedly, expecting them to have already figured it out. He froze at their confused expressions. '_Crap, they don't know about that Zelretch guy!_'

"Umm... Thanks a lot, old man! See you around!" he yelled as he jumped over the counter and grabbed Hinata by the arm so she would follow him.

"Na-Naruto-kun! Ano, thank you for everything, sir!" she managed to get out.

"Hey! Wait up!" yelled Shiki as he too jumped over the counter and called his own farewell. The rest of the girls followed suit.

The last ones standing there were Rito and the owner. The older man looked at Rito with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you going to follow them?"

"Sure. I just won't let them see me do it," he said with a smirk as he put on his jacket. "Do you think you can have all those plushes sent to my hotel room?"

"Even that blond kid's group?"

"Sure. I'll make sure that he gets them."

"No problem. What hotel are you staying at?"

Rito told him as he too hopped over the counter. "See you around!"

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Naruto insisted that they return to the mansion before he told them what was going on. The car ride back had been deathly silent. Once back at the mansion, everyone changed out of their festival attire and met in the sitting room.

"So why did we leave that Rito guy hanging back there? Didn't you want to figure things out with him?" Shiki asked as soon as everyone was present.

"This was more important than him. Besides, he ditched us earlier, too. I can't really explain, so I'll let Kyuubi do the talking." He went through the hand signs needed for the clone and the human version of the fox demon appeared with a poof of smoke.

"**Thanks Kit. You suck at explaining complicated things.**"

"Hey!"

"**Anyway, I'll start from the beginning...**"

Kyuubi spent about an hour explaining everything that had happened back in the Elemental Nations and background info of Zelretch, and then answered questions before everyone was up to speed.

"So that necklace you won is really a magical artifact called the 'Jewel of Zelretch' that was left behind by a magus gone vampire who also happens to be the master of the Second Magic? And that magical artifact currently around Hinata-san's neck has the power to alter a world by replacing matter from one parallel dimension with matter from another?" Shiki clarified.

"**That about sums it up, yes.**"

"Great... As if this situation wasn't already complicated..."

"Uzumaki-san, aren't you worried about that prophecy?" Akiha asked.

"What about it?" asked a confused Naruto.

"You know? The part about the 'Destined Child' dying?" she clarified, getting annoyed.

Naruto snorted. "Not a bit. This isn't the first time someone has foreseen my death. Yet, here I stand before you all. I won't die until I become Hokage, _dattebayo!_"

Hinata giggled at his antics while the rest of the group looked on in blank amazement.

A voice from the doorway startled everyone. "You seem so sure of that fact... Unfortunately things don't always work out the way we want them to. Death doesn't come when we want it to. The only thing that is a constant in this world is death. The only thing that changes from person to person is when and how they die. The sooner one understands that absolute truth, the sooner one can start living life to its fullest."

Naruto, Hinata, Akiha and Shiki jumped to their feet and faced the voice. Leaning against the doorway was none other than Rito.

"You! How'd you get here?" Naruto exclaimed.

"More importantly, how'd you get into my house?" Akiha asked, her anger radiating in waves.

Rito looked at her like she was stupid. He pointed at himself and said one word that summed up everything. "Thief?"

Akiha let her anger fade as she groaned in dismay. "You picked the lock didn't you?"

"Got it in one, Akiha-san," he said with a smile.

"Wait, how long have you been here, Rito-san?" Hinata asked.

"Since Kyuubi-san started explaining everything. I stuck a wireless microphone on the wall while I explored the house so I could listen in. I'm a firm believer in multitasking."

"So you heard everything?" Naruto asked

"You didn't steal anything, did you?" Akiha asked, half-worried, half-angry.

"Yes, I heard everything, and no, I didn't steal anything. I promise. Though there are some very nice pieces of artwork in this house, I don't steal from friends or potential friends. And I've got to say, that's one hell of a situation you're in. So, about a week before you can return to the Elemental Nations, right? What're you gonna do in the meantime other than visit festivals?"

"Umm... I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I guess I'll probably get some training done during the free time since there's not a lot to do," Naruto answered. "Though Hinata-chan still isn't ready to train yet due to her chakra exhaustion."

"Maybe not, Naruto-kun, but I can still work on taijutsu and instruct the Tohno family on how to utilize chakra."

"Wait, chakra?" asked the bewildered thief in the doorway. "You mentioned earlier about me not having a chakra network or something like that, right Hinata-san?"

She nodded. "That's right. Actually, I noticed that most of the people in this world don't have chakra networks when I was searching for you with my Byakugan."

"Is that what you call whatever it is that makes your eyes look like you're blind?"

"Yes, it's my family's kekkei genkai. My doujutsu, the Byakugan, allows me to see everything around me in a 360 degree radius that can extend out about half a mile. That includes any chakra flow that might be in the area."

"Okay, hold up for a second. You're using strange terms that I've never heard in casual conversation before. If I take what you said literally, your family's 'bloodline limit' which you also call your 'eye technique', called 'White Eye', lets you see everything around you for up to about half a mile? Did I get that right?" he asked while looking from face to face for confirmation.

"That's correct, Rito-san."

"A thief's worst nightmare… So how is it that you didn't know I was in the house?"

"Well, I have to activate the ability for me to do that. Other than that, I see things just like any other person."

"Okay. That makes sense. So now, what's chakra? I have an idea, but I want to understand how you're using the word."

"Ever heard of 'chi'?" asked Shiki, cutting off a long explanation from the ninja.

"Sure. Every martial artist worth his salt has heard the term, but very few have ever truly harnessed that power."

"It's the same concept."

Rito nodded, unsurprised. "Figured as much. Alright, so now that I understand why you mistook me for my alter-self, what happens now?"

"You're taking this rather well for someone that just learned that magic, demons, and alternate worlds exist," Shiki said with a mix of admiration and surprise in his voice.

Rito shrugged. "What can I say? I take life as it comes."

Naruto spoke up. "Well since teaching you how to harness chakra would be pointless, I'm kind of at a loss on how you could benefit from all this information."

"If I could make a suggestion?" Akiha asked.

Naruto nodded at her.

"Since you're a thief, do you think your particular skill set would be of any benefit to a ninja?"

"Sure. I personally believe that the ability to move silently has many everyday applications for normal people, but for a ninja, if the term is being used as I think it is, it's a priceless addition to the arsenal as is the ability to pick locks and scale buildings without tools. Are you suggesting that I teach all of you those skills?"

"Yes I am. I'm curious though. What did you mean by 'everyday application'?"

"Well, the ability to move silently requires that a person be completely in harmony with their environment. They need to be able to feel the 'flow' of what's going on around them like it's second nature. They also need to be able to read the ground and have excellent footwork. Those same principles can transfer over to the dance floor or even to playing sports and martial arts."

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I can see how that would be so. So you'd be willing?"

"Sure. But I have one condition."

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"You have to take it seriously. I won't train someone that isn't serious about learning what I have to teach. Otherwise I'd just be wasting my time."

"I always take training seriously, but I have to put a condition on this, too."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You have to explain things where I can understand them; no technical terms that are hard to follow."

Rito laughed. "No problem. I'm the same way."

"Okay, so when do we start?" the blond asked excitedly.

"Well, I've got an hour to kill before I need to head back, so if you want to start now, we can train for that long."

"At night?" asked Shiki and Akiha at the same time.

The giant gave them an amused look. "What better time to train stealth than at night? Feel free to come outside and watch or even join in." With that, he started walking towards the patio door on the other side of the room.

Nanaya giggled. "He certainly doesn't waste time, does he?"

Her sister gave a slight smile. "Indeed."

"Let's go, Hinata-chan!" the energetic blond yelled as he dashed after Rito. Kyuubi just sighed at his containers antics and dispelled himself, seeing as he was no longer needed and was still trying to recover his own chakra.

"Is he always like that when it comes to this kind of thing?" Akiha asked Hinata.

"Yup! He never turns down a chance to train. I've actually seen him work himself to exhaustion on multiple occasions while training."

"That's some dedication he's got. So are you going to train, too?" Shiki asked.

"It couldn't hurt to try. Rito-san _did_ offer to train us as well."

"Let's go, Shiki-san!" Nanaya exclaimed as she tip-toed towards the door with a gleam in her eye and a grin on her face."

"Nee-san…" Hisui said, sweat dropping at her sister's antics.

"You know, Akiha… It scares me how much of her old personality she kept even after losing her memories…"

"Indeed… Nothing good ever comes from that gleam in her eye… Let's hurry before something bad happens."

"Ano, what're you talking about?" Hinata asked the siblings.

However, Hisui was the one who answered. "Trust us, Hinata-san. You don't want to know. Just hope that Rito-san's training doesn't have anything to do with cleaning the house." With that, the Tohno siblings nodded agreement and quickly made their way to the door with the maid, leaving a very confused Hinata to follow after.

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Author's Notes

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Sorry that one was so long! At least it's better than the short ones I've been pumping out the last couple times, right? Let me know what you think!

Reviews=happy=inspiration=more chapters! ^_^

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	13. Training in the Night

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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I got this one done in record time, though it's mainly filler. I promise to throw in a twist or two in the coming chapters. And _yes_, I do already have a damn good twist for this story. I think you all will love it. Or not… ^_^

I've actually got chapter 14 finished, I'm just waiting a bit to put it up to see how this chapter is received.

On a related note, while writing this chapter, a Plot Bunny hopped its way into my head. I plan to run with it and make another story and see where that goes. There _will_ be an OC, and it will NOT be Rito (Rejoice now all you Rito-haters, or forever hold your peace). I'm even toying with the possibility of joining the plots of my two as of yet unwritten stories into one. Haven't decided yet… I'll sleep on the idea and see what I come up with.

Also, I'm still looking for a Beta. Please PM me or let me know in your comment if you're interested.

Enjoy!

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Tohno Mountain Mansion– Present day

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Out behind the mansion, the sun was already below the horizon. The moon was the only light visible in the twilight other than what was coming from the sitting room. Rito stood in the grass, facing the group that had followed him outside.

"Okay, so aside from Naruto-san, how many of you want to learn stealth?" he asked.

Hinata's and Nanaya's hands shot up immediately. After a moment, Shiki's hand went up as well.

"Not interested, you two?" he asked Hisui and Akiha. They both shook their heads.

"I have no need for such skills," Akiha said with disdain. Hisui deemed not to comment.

Rito just shrugged. "Whatever. Okay, you four. First thing's first. I want to test each of you individually to see how much skill you already possess in the art of stealth. Naruto-san, you're up first. I'm going to turn around and face towards the forest. You're going to start walking from the patio and see how close you can get to me without me noticing you. I'll have my eyes closed, so that's one sense you don't have to worry about right off the bat. I'd like for the rest of you to go sit down on the patio while we're doing this so I don't mistake you for him."

Everyone except for Naruto and Rito made their way to the seats on the patio to watch.

"Oh, one more thing. None of your little ninja tricks like earlier. Got it?"

Naruto looked heartbroken for a moment, making Rito glad he'd said something. '_He probably would have pulled some crazy stunt to pull off a win..._'

"You ready?"

"I was born ready!" Naruto exclaimed with a smirk.

"Okay, the test begins as soon as I turn around."

Rito turned his back to the blond and closed his eyes, opening the rest of his senses to the environment around him. He felt the light breeze coming from the mountainside and could smell the sweet aroma of the flowers in the garden next to the patio. He could hear the crickets in the grass around him chirping away merrily. Zen came quickly for him.

In truth, he was giving all of them three strikes. For beginners, even walking on the grass produced some noise the experienced could detect.

As expected, he immediately heard the blond step off onto the grass. The sound of the grass was not completely masked by the sound of the light breeze. It sounded like glass shattering to Rito's ears.

'_Strike one…_'

The blond must have realized the difficulty of the task at hand, as Rito heard a sharp intake of breath from him as soon as his foot had settled into the grass.

'_Strike two…_'

The wind picked up briefly and Rito lost track of the blond's position for a moment, but as soon as it died down he heard the grass under the blond's feet again.

'_And that's strike number three._'

"Stop. Test over, Naruto-san."

Rito turned around to see exactly how far he'd gotten. He had only gotten five feet away from the patio. Naruto's face showed nothing but frustration.

"_Kuso…_ You just _had_ to forbid jutsus... This isn't as easy as it sounds," he said under his breath.

"No, it isn't. Stealth is a skill that develops with time, experience and practice. I won't have very long to teach you, but I plan to impart as much knowledge on the subject as I'm able to. Shiki-san, you're up next."

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The other three had much the same results. Hinata was the only one who made it further than ten feet.

"Not bad, Hinata-san. I see you already have a basic grasp of the concept."

"Well, I _did_ pick up on the other's mistakes before it was my turn…" she said timidly, slightly embarrassed at the praise.

"That's great Hinata-chan! Hey, maybe you can give the rest of us some pointers!" the blond exclaimed happily, proud of his girlfriend.

"I don't know, Rito-san. Making it the full thirty feet without making a sound seems impossible," Shiki said, slightly miffed at the task at hand.

"Who said I was only listening for you? In truth, I gave you each three strikes. There was no way any of you would have made it past the first step otherwise. The only reason I struck Hinata-san out was because I picked up a whiff of her perfume when the wind shifted. By that time, she had already figured out how to walk on the grass without me hearing it," the giant explained. "But if you're so skeptical, why don't you go stand where I was in the grass and allow me to prove to you all that it _is_ indeed possible?"

Shiki looked slightly surprised at the challenge, but nodded his head and made his way to where Rito had previously stood. "Here, right?"

"Close enough. Okay, now the first time you're _absolutely_ sure that you've picked up where I am I want you to raise your hand. Got it?"

"Got it." With that, Shiki turned his back and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to give myself a time limit of two minutes to reach your position. The demonstration starts now."

Rito closed his eyes and took in his surroundings as he had before. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again and took the first step into the grass as the wind picked up. He had to time his movements with the wind so that it masked them. Small gusts meant he had to make small movements, while large gusts or series of gusts meant he could move more swiftly to his target. After about half a minute, he had made it to where he could just about reach out and touch the boy's shoulder.

'_Time to prove a point._'

Rito slowly reached into his pocket and removed a coin. He then carefully made his way around Shiki until he was about five feet in front of him. He tossed the coin, making it land a few feet behind Shiki. As soon as it hit the ground, Shiki's hand shot up.

"I heard you behind me, Rito-san. Not so eas-" his words cut off as he opened his eyes to see Rito standing right in front of him.

"You were saying?" he asked with a smirk.

"Bu- Wha- How did you get in front of me?!" Shiki exclaimed.

"That's for me to know, and you to learn," he replied as he walked past Shiki to pick up his coin. "So class, tonight's lesson is…?"

"Never doubt your sensei?" Shiki asked with chagrin.

"Never get on your bad side?" Naruto asked.

"Being stealthy is hard?" Nanaya supplied.

"Stealth is a skill that can only be mastered over time," Hinata said with confidence, having deduced the reasoning behind Rito's object lesson.

Rito's smirk turned into a full blown smile. "Exactly. Moving silently isn't something you're going to master on your first night. It's not even something you can master in a month. It will take practice, experience and pure tenacity to learn how to move swiftly while being silent."

Rito removed his jacket and tossed it to the ground. "I want you all to close your eyes for ten seconds, and then open them." The group looked confused, but they all closed their eyes. Rito _moved, _making no more sound than the passing wind.

After the ten seconds were up, they all opened their eyes to find Rito gone. They all looked around, but couldn't find Rito anywhere. After a few seconds they finally heard a voice from above them.

"When you've finally mastered the art of stealth, the possibilities of what you are capable of are truly amazing."

As one, they turned to see a figure sitting on the overhang off of the mansion by the patio, looking up at the moon.

With that, he jumped down from the overhang. He barely made a sound as he landed. "Do you understand now?" he asked, looking directly at Shiki. The boy just nodded. "Good. Then let's continue. I want you to pair up and practice doing what we just did with each other. Two of you go to this side of the patio and two of you go to the other side. I'll give pointers as you go along."

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By the end of the hour, the group had gotten to the point that they were able to use the wind and the rest of their environment to aid them in moving silently. The glaring exception was Hinata, who had taken to the exercise like a fish to water. She had managed to make it all the way to two of the other three without being noticed. Even Rito had barely heard her.

"Good job everyone. Hinata-san, I can tell you're grasping all this much better than the rest. Do you feel you can tutor the others until they get to where you are currently?"

Naruto, Shiki and Nanaya all smiled at the now blushing girl for her achievement.

"A-ano, I suppose I could," she said timidly, her embarrassment getting the better of her.

"You suppose?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. '_Where did all that confidence go?_'

Seeing his expression, Hinata realized she had slipped back into her 'comfort zone' again and mentally kicked herself. She straightened her stance and squared her shoulders.

"Hai, Rito-sensei. I'm confident that I can get them to where I currently am by the end of the night," she said with determination. She refused to let down one of the few people who had ever genuinely believed in her abilities.

"Good. Though you don't _have_ to get them to that point by the end of the night, it's reassuring to know that the dedication is there," Rito said with a smile for his 'students'. "The rest of you up to the challenge?"

The other three all gave quick nods and had smiles on their faces. Rito noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to see Hisui bringing out tea for everyone.

"Good. Let's take a ten minute break for tea."

The group seemed surprised, expecting to continue, but recovered quickly when they saw Hisui holding the tray of tea cups. "No point in letting good tea go cold," Rito said with a grin. Walking up to the maid, he took the proffered cup from the girl. Hisui looked worried as he brought the cup to his lips and the Tohno family was mentally bracing itself for his reaction.

He took a sip. "Mmmm... An excellent green tea. Arigato, Hisui-san."

The girl sighed in relief. Shiki and Nanaya seemed genuinely surprised, but happy with Rito's reaction.

"Hisui-chan, have you been practicing making tea?" Nanaya asked happily as she took a cup from the tray.

Hisui blushed slightly with a happy expression. "Hai, Nee-san. You told me that I should start by learning to make something simple, and Shiki-sama mentioned that tea was one of the easiest things to make. So I started practicing two weeks ago. I'm glad that it is enjoyable."

Shiki had already sampled the brew and had a broad smile on his face. "That's wonderful Hisui. If you keep this up, we'll have you helping Nanaya-san in the kitchen in no time."

Hisui's blush darkened another shade at the praise. The others gathered around, and gave similar compliments as they tasted the tea.

Watching the byplay, Rito walked over to Akiha and leaned over to whisper. "Am I missing something, Akiha-san? It's great tea, but is it really such a big deal?"

Akiha kept her smile in place as she kept her eyes on Hisui and nodded infinitesimally. "Hisui and Nanaya may be twins, but their household skills couldn't be more different. Nanaya is a wonderful cook, but when she cleans, it usually looks like a tornado rolled through. On the other hand, Hisui can clean a mansion like no one's business, but her cooking skills..."

"Subpar?" interjected Rito with a smile for the girl's determination. Akiha nodded again.

"That's putting it kindly."

"Well, if you ever need a guinea pig for her cooking while I'm here, let me know."

Akiha looked at Rito in shock. "Are you serious?"

He simply nodded. "I have a code that I go by when it comes to food. I'll try _anything_ once."

Akiha looked at him for a few more seconds, then shook her head before turning her attention back to the girl in question, who was the center of praise from the rest of the group.

"You never did explain how you got here in the first place."

Rito chuckled softly. "I hung onto the back of your car after your driver got in. I was lucky that the roads are nice, otherwise I would have fallen off after a few miles," the giant explained.

"It figures… Every time I think I've got you figured out, you throw me another curve ball."

"For a thief, the instant you become predictable is the instant you get caught. I'm sure it's the same for a ninja. During that fight with Naruto-san, he surprised me more than I have been in several years. I'm thinking about dubbing him 'The Unpredictable.'"

Naruto's head swung around towards Rito and Akiha. "Someone call me?" he asked with a smile.

Rito laughed. "Actually, I was thinking about giving you a nickname, but wasn't sure if you already had one."

Naruto snickered while Hinata giggled. It was Hinata who gave him his answer.

"Naruto-kun is known as 'Konoha's Number One, Unpredictable, Hyperactive, Knuckle-headed Ninja!'" she exclaimed proudly with a grin that matched her boyfriend's.

That got everyone laughing.

After a few more minutes of socializing, it was time to get back to work.

"Okay, you have two choices. You can continue to train moving silently, or you can learn the basics of picking locks."

The four of them looked back and forth at each other for a few seconds before Shiki spoke up.

"How much longer can you stay?"

Rito grimaced. "Well honestly I should already be heading back, but it's been so long since I had such gifted and tenacious students that I'm thinking about staying all night."

Akiha spoke up at this. "Why, exactly, do you have to return right now, Rito-san?"

Rito scratched his chin as he thought. "Well, I need to give the Tag-alongs their plushes for ditching them again. Otherwise they'll probably spend all of tomorrow hunting me down and we'll never get any training done. Also, all my stuff is still sitting in my hotel room and I've always been very particular about using others' toiletries. It shouldn't be hard to ditch them again tomorrow, but they'll give me crap unless I've got a good excuse."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Why are some women so troublesome?"

Naruto and Hinata flinched. Naruto held up a hand, palm outward.

"Stop. I'll help with those three, but you have to promise me you'll never use that phrase _ever_ again," Naruto said with a serious expression.

Rito raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure. But how exactly are you going to help me deal with the Tag-along Trio?"

"Like this."

Naruto made his trademark cross hand sign and a _kage bushin_ appeared next to him. The clone then made the ram seal. "_Oiroke no jutsu!_"

The clone disappeared in a poof of smoke only to reappear looking like a very good-looking female version of the blond. It was like looking at identical twins of opposite genders.

"_Konbanwa_. I'm Naruko! Nice to meet you," the girl said with a small bow.

"Sexy Technique? Is this an alter ego of yours, or is this some kind of transformation? Gotta say, you look cute as a girl, dude," Rito commented with a grin as he sized up the girl. She blushed and put a finger in her mouth.

"Stop it. You're making me blush, Rito-kun," she said with a pout. Rito laughed while Naruto grinned at him.

"A little of both. I had to make a seperate personality for when I transformed into her so I wouldn't blow my cover. The unclothed version is a pervert exterminator," he said proudly.

"Naruto-kun, I thought you promised you wouldn't use that technique around me anymore?" Hinata asked beside him with an edge to her voice.

"Hinata-chaaaan! I made sure she had clothes on, and it's for a good cause. Not that taking perverts off of their high horses isn't a 'good cause'."

Hinata gave him a disappointed look, but relented after a few seconds of him squirming. "Okay, fine. At least you're following the spirit of your promise, if not the letter." Naruto sighed with relief as he dispelled the technique.

Rito smiled at the couple. "Well that's great that you're letting him help me, but that still doesn't explain _how_ it's going to help."

"Well, here's how I figure it. You tell the girls that you were helping out your friends that you ran into, and _that_ was the reason you weren't with them all today. And also that you promised to help them again tomorrow. I'll send Naruko down to your hotel lobby to meet you in the morning and you can convince them to spend the day with her, leaving you able to train us for the day!"

Rito thought about it for a moment. "Not a bad plan, but I'm not sure they'll go for it once they've got me in their grasp. They know how slippery I can be."

"If it comes to that, I'll provide a distraction so you can split. Sound good?"

Rito nodded. He only needed a couple of seconds to disappear if he needed to. "Yeah. Okay, so if we're going to work it that way, I need to go back tonight and butter them up. Meet me in the lobby at seven o'clock so I can brief you before the girls come down."

"Huh? Why so early?" the blond asked in confusion.

Rito sighed in exasperation. "Didn't I already say it? I only have until tomorrow to teach you everything I can. So the earlier we get started, the more we can get done."

"You never did say why you only had until tomorrow to teach us all of this. Care to explain?" asked a curious Akiha.

"Hn… I thought I mentioned it, but I guess not. I'm on a sightseeing tour and our group leaves tomorrow night so we can make it to the next town on schedule."

Akiha nodded her head in understanding. "I remember you mentioning doing some sightseeing, but you never mentioned you were part of a tour group or that you were on a time table."

"Guess it slipped my mind. Sorry about that."

Naruto got a serious expression on his face for a moment before breaking out in a fox grin and turning towards the giant. "Ne, Rito? You said that you usually ditch those three, right?"

Rito turned to look at him warily. "That's right… Okay, what's going on in that devious little mind of yours? I know that look now. It's that 'I've got an idea that's bound to cause trouble' look."

Naruto snickered mischievously. "I'll let you know tomorrow. I've still got to fine tune my idea before I tell you."

"Is it going to piss off the Tag-alongs?" Rito asked, hiding his amusement behind a poker face.

"Probably."

"Does it have something to do with me training you longer than tomorrow?"

"Yep!" the blond said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me. Let me know when you figure out the details so I can be ready. Helping you is more important than my vacation time. I just need to figure out what I'm going to tell Sayuri-chan... Okay class, I want you to keep practicing on moving silently. Hinata-san, you're in charge."

With that, Rito turned and started walking towards the side of the mansion that faced down the mountain towards the village. "_Ja-ne!_"

"H-hey! Don't you want a ride back into town?" Akiha stammered out.

Rito didn't bother even turning his head. "Nah. I could use a good run. See you in the morning!" At that, he broke into a run and disappeared into the forest.

The group looked on in amazement. Everyone's heads snapped towards Akiha as they felt waves of killing intent coming from the now crimson-haired girl. Naruto noticed that her eyes looked like his own when he used the Kyuubi's power (except for her eyes staying blue) and decided to back up a few steps, dragging Hinata with him.

"He's crazy! There's no other explanation than the fact that he must be absolutely insane! How can anyone just waltz off into the night in the middle of a forest with a smile on their face? How does he even expect to find his way back to town? It's pitch dark out here!" she exploded.

She turned her glare towards the sound of snickering, only to find herself snarling at her brother. "_What?_"

Shiki laughed some more. "Oh, nothing. It's just that if I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that you _liked_ him."

Her killing intent flared. "I DO _NOT_ LIKE THAT MAN!"

Naruto chose that moment to speak up. "I dunno, Akiha-san. You know what they say: No one can annoy you more than the one you care for," he said with a knowing grin.

Naruto felt the temperature rise noticeably in his general vicinity as Akiha turned her gaze onto his form. The blond 'eep'd' as he dove behind his girlfriend for protection.

And just as quickly as her temper had flared, the intense killing intent and heat disappeared, her hair returning to its normal raven hue. She tossed her head to the side and turned towards the mansion. "I'm going to bed," she said tartly as she made her way inside.

"Geez… Remind me never to play any practical jokes on her. I think she'd broil if she ever caught me," commented the blond as he came out of hiding.

"Good idea. Though it _was_ fun to tease her. I hardly ever get to tease my little sister these days," Shiki said with a smile. "Okay, so are we going to keep training or call it a night?"

"I'm game!" exclaimed the loud blond.

"Me too," said the pale eyed girl.

"I should go check if Akiha-sama needs anything before she goes to bed. Be right back!" exclaimed the excitable maid.

Hisui went inside with her sister as the other three got started once again.

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Author's Notes

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Hooray for inspiration!

I've reread the first couple of chapters recently, and I've decided that I _really_ need to go back and do a rewrite. So this chapter, I'm putting out a double shout out for Betas.

Oh and before you all start commenting on how Naruto's stealth skills are supposed to be better because of his experiences as a kid with half the ninja in the village chasing him or something like that, I ask you to remember that those instances were against unsuspecting villagers and lax security on the ninja's behalf, not against a prepared teacher in a controlled environment. His stealth _is_ good, it's just a different situation. Though, Hinata's is better naturally since 1: she's a girl, thus lighter on her feet, and 2: it's my story and that's the way I'm writing her! XP

If you guys don't start coming out of the woodwork soon, I'll be forced to make an omake of Naruto and Hinata imitating Gai and Lee for the Tohno family. Don't think I won't do it. Beach Sunset genjustu and all. _Dattebayo!_

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	14. My Sword is My Life

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Okay, I'm _not_ going to show the scene with the Trio. I added them as a sort of nemesis for Rito to defeat with his stealth skills, not as characters that really had any bearing on the story itself. Therefore I'm going to skip almost all the scenes dealing with them. REJOICE!

This chapter was finished the same day that I posted the last one, but I decided to wait and see how it turned out. Then I went back and added some content and did a little editing to fix my errors, so it took me about 3 extra days to get this chapter finished.

I'll be splitting my time between this story and my new one so updates will come as they're finished.

Enjoy!

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Forest between Kitsune Village and Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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The next day, Rito was running through the forest at a breakneck speed trying to make up for the lost time dealing with the Tag-alongs.

He had convinced them that Naruko was the sister of a friend he was helping and talked them into showing 'her' the festival while he helped his friend again, but it had taken quite a bit of time. After dealing with them, Rito had gone back to his room to gather his bags only to find Naruto waiting for him. It was the quickest checkout he'd ever had.

The blond was currently jumping through the trees above him, keeping up without any trouble at all.

"You know, if that's the kind of stuff you can do with 'chakra', I really wish I could use it."

"I'm not completely convinced that you _can't_. I've never seen any civilian move as fast as you do! It's not ninja speed, but it's close. I can't figure out why you don't have a chakra network though... The maids and Akiha do," Naruto said as he scratched his cheek.

"Weird. I kind of wanted to learn that 'seal' thing you did with my bags. That'd make packing for trips a cinch. No more worrying about excess baggage fees or trying to find room in the overhead compartments of planes," he said as his eyes glazed over at the possibilities.

"Maybe we'll have Hinata look again later, just in case. I plan on teaching the Tohno family how to use chakra in order to repay them for letting us stay at the mansion. There's no reason why you can't try."

Rito nodded at that. "Sounds good. About five more minutes until we get there. Go on ahead and let them know I'll be there in a bit."

"Yosh!" the blond exclaimed as he focused chakra into his legs and jumped even further ahead, disappearing from Rito's sight after a few seconds.

"Damn. I really hope I'll be capable of doing that kind of stuff," Rito muttered to himself.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion– Present day

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Inside the mansion, everyone was just sitting down for breakfast. Shiki was actually awake early for once and by extension, Akiha was happy. The peaceful breakfast was interrupted by the patio door being opened by a smiling blond.

"Morning everyone!" he yelled.

"Ugh... Not this early Naruto-san. Why is everyone around me a morning person?" Shiki grumbled to himself.

"Don't blame us if we're able to wake up early without issue, Nii-san. Even if it is vacation, you shouldn't laze around in bed all morning. Especially since you're training with that Rito person again."

Shiki just waved his hand towards his sister as if to say 'yeah, yeah' as he took a sip of his tea. Naruto sat down next to him, smiling at the siblings as he started in on the ramen Nanaya had made for him. "Rito will be here in a few minutes. He told me to come ahead and give you guys a head's up."

"How'd everything go at the hotel, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked between bites.

Naruto took a second to finish off his second bowl of ramen before answering. "Fine. It took a bit to talk them into it, but it worked out in the end." He immediately started in on his third bowl.

Akiha looked at him in mild disgust. "How can you eat like that? Do you even breath?"

Naruto paused halfway through his fourth bowl to glare at her before putting his nose in the air. "Eating ramen is an art form. But I wouldn't expect _you_ to know the finer points of eating ramen."

Akiha leveled her own glare at the blond. "What is _that_ supposed to mean Uzumaki?"

Naruto finished his fourth and final bowl and stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "Exactly what it sounded like! Any little kid would know that the best way to eat ramen is to slurp it after blowing on it once! That way you get the great taste while it cools at the same time! To blow on it '_politely_' until it's completely cool is disrespectful to the ramen and the chef!" he explained with passion.

Akiha was taken back by his vehemence. Fortunately, the tension was broken as the patio door opened once again.

Rito took one look around the dining room before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Am I interrupting something?"

Naruto smiled at the giant before sitting down. "Naw, we were just discussing the finer point of eating ramen."

Rito thought about it for a second before laughing. "Lemme guess. Akiha complained about the way you eat ramen and you went off on her?"

Akiha, Shiki and Hinata all looked at Rito in surprise at his accuracy while Naruto just smiled and nodded.

"I knew it. Let me try to explain it in terms you'll understand Akiha-san. While being polite and eating slow and properly is normal in high class society, keep in mind that ramen isn't considered a 'high class' food.

"Taking your time and blowing on it until it's cool has two meanings in casual society. The first is that you're trying to impress your date and you're being on your best manners. If this is done at a restaurant or stand that serves ramen, the chef will usually understand and won't take offense. But if you're by yourself and you do this, it may be taken as an insult by the chef. Basically you're indicating that their ramen isn't up to standard with your actions, not your words.

"By slurping the ramen, you show your appreciation to the chef while cooling your meal at the same time. The speed at which you eat your meal also shows how much you like it. Seeing four empty bowls of ramen in front of Naruto-san in the short time between when he left me and when I got here tells me that Nanaya-san makes a mean bowl of ramen."

As Rito finished his explanation, Hinata and Shiki had their mouths open in shock while Akiha was blushing at her _faux pas_. Naruto was nodding his head with a smile.

"Exactly! Finally! Someone who understands the greatness of ramen!"

Rito snorted. "Dude, I eat ramen without the water or broth mix when I'm in a rush. If that doesn't peg me as a ramen lover, I don't know what does."

Naruto gasped in shock before tears started falling from his eyes in streams. "Y-you can eat ramen without waiting for the water to boil?"

Rito nodded. "You can do it one of three ways. The first way is to just open the package and chow down without adding anything. The second way is to dump the broth mix over the noodles while it's still in the package and shake it up. Then you have a tasty, portable snack. The last way is to break up the ramen before shaking up the mix. Then you have tasty bite-sized snacks on the go. You lose out on the broth with all three methods, but if you're in a rush there's nothing better."

Naruto said nothing, simply sitting there with tears running down his face. Rito looked at Hinata with curiosity. "What's up with him?"

"Naruto-kun dislikes having to wait the three minutes for the water to be ready for 'instant' ramen. I think he's just so happy to discover that 'instant' ramen can indeed be 'instant'," she explained with a giggle.

Rito shook his head before walking over to the blond and snapping his fingers in his face. "Earth to Naruto..."

Naruto's expression cleared and he looked up at Rito with stars in his eyes. He dropped to his knees and grabbed Rito's jacket in his hands. "Show me!"

Rito laughed at the blond's antics. "Later, Naruto. We need to get started on the training. Hinata-san, how far did you get last night after I left?"

Hinata finished the last bite of her meal before answering. "All of us are able to sneak up on each other without being noticed, Rito-sensei."

Rito hid his surprise at how quickly the four of them had gotten the exercise and quickly nodded his head. "Good. We'll do another quick test with all of you at the same time before moving on. Meet me out back when you're ready," he said as he turned towards the door he had just walked through.

Just then, Hisui walked in from the foyer. "Rito-san, good morning. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Rito paused at the door and turned towards the maid. "No, not yet. We left the hotel in a hurry and I spaced it. I didn't want to impose on you since you're already feeding two more than you were expecting."

"It's no problem. Would you like a Japanese breakfast or a Western breakfast?" she asked.

He thought for a moment before smiling at the girl. "How about some _onigiri_?"

"Certainly, Rito-san. I'll bring them out when they're ready," she responded with a small bow before turning towards the kitchen.

After she had gone Shiki turned to Rito. "Are you sure about this, Rito-san?"

Rito knew that Shiki was referring to his previous offer to be a guinea pig for Hisui's cooking. He deduced that Akiha must have mentioned it to him by the look he was giving him.

He sighed. "Shiki-san, Hisui-san is your girlfriend, right?"

Shiki blushed crimson, but nodded.

"Then you're eventually either going to have to learn to eat her cooking without complaining or simply get used to it. Look at it this way: I'm an impartial judge. I'm going to tell her where she can improve without worrying about hurting her feelings, simply because I know she'll take any criticism from me as it's meant to be; constructive criticism. That way, she'll know what she needs to do to improve her _onigiri_ the next time she makes it for you."

Shiki scratched his cheek as he absorbed Rito's explanation. "I guess that makes sense..."

"Good. Now, if you've got time to worry about my taste buds, you've got time to show me how much you've improved since last night. Let's go!" Rito barked out, causing everyone to jump before the three sitting at the table rushed past him out the door.

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Rito performed the same test as the previous night with all three of them at the same time with much different results. He wasn't able to detect any of them before Hinata managed to touch him on his shoulder. When Rito turned around, he found that Shiki and Naruto were only a couple of steps behind her.

"Very good. I have to say that I'm very impressed with how quickly you managed to complete this training. I'll give you a break from stealth so we can work on a bit of B&E work," Rito said with a smile.

Shiki: "B..."

Hinata: "and..."

Naruto: "E...?" the three of them asked in confusion at the strange phrase that came out in English.

Akiha spared Rito from answering by translating for them. "Breaking and Entering. Basically he's going to teach you how to do the same thing he did last night," she said with contempt.

"Oooooh... So like picking locks and stuff like that?" Naruto asked once he understood.

"Just picking locks, Naruto-san. You may actually have a use for that skill one day. The other 'skills' that fall under 'Breaking and Entering' would be useless to anyone who wasn't trying to cause harm to others and I refuse to discuss them, let alone teach them to you," he clarified with an edge to his voice.

His students nodded in understanding while Akiha looked like she wanted to say something more.

Just then, Nanaya and Hisui came out from the mansion carrying a tray of tea and _onigiri_, respectively.

"Ah, thanks girls. Just what the doctor ordered!" he said with a grin as he walked over to where they had placed the trays on the table. He quickly inspected the _onigiri_ and noticed that half the tray looked like it had been done by a professional while the other half mostly looked lopsided and disfigured. He reached out and grabbed one of Hisui's rice balls that was near the edge of the tray and bit into it after a quick '_Itadakimasu_'.

It may have looked weird, but it tasted just fine. He quickly swallowed the first bite and took another to see if she had put anything in the center. He was disappointed to find that there was none. His slight frown as he chewed had Hisui looking at him worriedly.

"Is it not to your liking, Rito-san?" she asked. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as they waited for his response.

He swallowed again and shook his head at her. "No, it's fine. I was just hoping that you had put something in the middle. Those are the best," he reassured her with a smile as he took another bite, causing the girl to sigh in relief. She pointed to the treats towards the center of the tray.

"These ones have fruit in the center if that is your preference," she said as he polished off the first one. He immediately grabbed one of the indicated treats without asking her what was in them.

'_Nothing like a good surprise to spice up life. Mmm... plum and kiwi. Unusual combination, but not unpleasant._'

"It needs a little work on it's aesthetics, but the taste is fine. Maybe try sticking with single fillings or combinations that compliment each other. If you use fruit, I don't have a problem with diced plum and kiwi, but a simple strawberry is probably best for most occasions where you don't know a person's preference. Overall Opinion: This dish gets the 'Rito-sensei Seal of Approval'!" he exclaimed as he took another huge bite of the _onigiri_, finishing half of it in one go.

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After the quick snack, Rito explained the theory and mechanics behind lock picking for about half an hour, answering questions from time to time. Once he thought they understood the concept, he gave them a quick demonstration of what picking a lock looked like when done by a professional. Nanaya locked the door leading to the patio with her key at Rito's request before standing with the rest of the group to watch.

Rito walked up to the door, pulling his lock picking set out of his pocket and removing two tools on the way. He had the door open after fiddling with the lock for about three seconds.

"Just like that?" Akiha asked, aghast at how simple it had been.

"Just like that. Once again; simple to learn, a lot harder to master. This skill has saved my butt more than once," saying so, he reached into his backpack on the chair and pulled out a small pouch, tossing it to Shiki. "Here, open that."

He 'umphed' as the pouch hit him in the chest due to its weight. Shiki did as he was told and found four small leather lock picking sets and about two dozen different kinds of locks, ranging from padlocks to high security locks. "The sets are my gift to you. Use them in good conscious. Start trying to open the padlocks first and work your way up to the dead bolts once you're confident. Naruto-san, could you unseal my sports bag for me? I want to get some weapon practice in since I've been neglecting it."

With a quick nod, Naruto removed the scroll from his equipment pouch and unsealed the item in question before walking over to where Shiki, Nanaya and Hinata were and getting started.

Seeing his students concentrating on their task, Rito walked over and opened the long bag, removing two items from inside: a black _katana_ and two three-foot long steel rods connected with a chain. He depressed a small button on one of the rods to engage the retracting mechanism for the chain, causing the two rods to come together forming a _bo_. He twisted the two ends so they locked into place.

He twirled it around for a few seconds to ensure its balance hadn't been affected by its storage before jamming it into the ground and walking a few paces away. Dropping to his knees and sitting on his feet in the _seiza_ position, he held the sword horizontally at eye level in front of him, then bowed his head all the way to the ground, bringing the _katana_ on the ground with it. Finally, he lifted his body to its original position holding the sword vertically in front of his body. The ritual complete, he strapped the weapon to his left hip under his jacket, blade up.

He sat there with his eyes closed for about thirty seconds, completely silent. Then in one fluid motion he struck out with the sword as he stood, the blade arcing downward, and immediately returned it to its sheath. The entire movement had taken about a second.

"What was _that_?" asked an amazed Naruto.

Rito turned his attention to the blond, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

_"Iaijustu_, or as it's sometimes called, _battojutsu_. It's a quick draw technique where you draw and strike with one motion and return the blade to its sheath. The katas that can be performed after the blade is drawn are known as _iaido_. Both focus on the use of Zen in their forms. They're designed to be used to defend yourself in everyday situations, not on a battlefield. Or at least that's how it was used in the past... No one carries swords around these days," he explained as he demonstrated the technique again along with a few katas from the standing position.

"Could you teach it to me?" he asked as he jumped to his feet.

Rito thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not until after you can open dead bolts. After you do that, I'll show you the katas."

Naruto shook his head. "We don't have time for that!" He walked over to Rito's bag and pulled out a wooden practice sword. He then formed the cross seal with his hands. "_Kage bushin no jutsu!_"

Fifty clones appeared in the yard around him. The clone nearest him picked up the the lock and tools the original blond had been using and continued where he left off. "I like to multitask, too," he said with a smirk.

Rito gave him a questioning look.

"Trust me."

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After Naruto explained the finer points of his technique to the group and how Kyuubi had explained it to him after forming their blood pact, Rito had ten clones practice _iaijutsu_ while the rest practiced the different katas of _iaido_. The original worked with Rito on his _taijutsu_.

"You surprised me during our fight with your jutsu and how coordinated your clones were. And while it's always good to surprise your opponent, it's pointless if you ruin the surprise because you telegraph your moves and give your opponent time to counter them," explained the giant.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you ever heard the phrase, 'Your most powerful move leaves you the most vulnerable'?" he asked. The blond shook his head, though it made sense to him.

"Basically, the bigger the move, the bigger the opening it leaves. By the same logic, the bigger the opponent, the more they telegraph their movements. Take the length of our arms for example," Rito explained pointing to Naruto's arm.

"What about them?" the blond asked in confusion.

"My arms are much longer than yours. While that may give me a reach advantage, it doesn't do me a damn bit of good if you get your strike in before I do. Because your arms are shorter, they have less distance to go from the ready position to full extention, therefore giving me less time to react. Get it?"

"So, you wear the jacket to mask your movements, right?" Naruto asked, beginning to understand what Rito meant.

Rito nodded. "Exactly. You don't see my strikes coming until they're halfway to you, especially my kicks."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "So bigger isn't always better. The bigger the move, the more it gets telegraphed."

"Right."

"Okay, so now that I understand what I'm doing wrong, how are we going to fix it?"

"Easy. You're going to try and hit me. Same thing as yesterday, but no weapons this time. I'll tell you how to fix your technique as we go along," he said as he dropped into his Hidden Joint style.

"Can I use jutsus?"

"Only your _kage bushin_, and no more than ten of those at a time. I think that's the maximum I can handle... Remember, we're working on your _taijutsu_, not your _ninjutsu_."

"Got it!" He immediately created ten clones and surrounded Rito.

"Come!"

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The two of them stopped a couple hours later for a break. They were both slightly out of breath as they sat with their backs against a tree.

"Damn you've got a lot of stamina. It took everything I had to keep up with you." Rito was sporting various bruises on his body and he was pretty sure that he had a black eye from one of Naruto's right hooks.

"You're not bad yourself. I can't believe you lasted that long when you're not even a ninja. Are you sure you want to keep going? That eye's starting to look pretty bad. Sorry about that by the way," he said with a grimace.

"Meh, I've had worse. It'll be fine. You're not telegraphing as much anymore, so I consider a black eye a good trade off."

Naruto didn't look completely convinced. "Are you sure? I mean, this is supposed to be training. I'm not supposed to really hurt you..."

"Naruto, if you got through my guard that just means that you're getting better, which is the whole point in training in the first place. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you heal fast... I know I broke a couple of bones with some of my kicks."

Naruto winced in memory. The feeling of your rib or arm breaking was _not_ pleasant, nor was the feeling of it mending quickly. "No kidding. Well, do you want to work on weapons next?"

Naruto glanced over at Naruto. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you so set on learning _kenjutsu_ in the first place?"

Naruto averted his gaze from Rito, letting it fall on the figures of the others sitting on the porch. "It's because of my mother."

Rito nodded. "I see." He really didn't, but figured if he let it sit for awhile, the blond would elaborate.

After a couple minutes of silence, Naruto turned back to Rito with a sad expression.

"I've never told anyone this; not even Hinata-chan. While I was training with Ero-sennin, I would send my _kage bushin_ out to try and find out who my family was whenever he would go on his peeping expeditions. After a couple of years, I finally found my mother's grave. Uzumaki Kushina was her name. One of the greatest _kenjutsu_ masters in the Land of Whirlpools, or so it said on her headstone."

Naruto gave a grin as he continued. "I figured if my mom was good with a sword, it must be in my blood!"

Rito frowned. "Don't smile like that, Naruto."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean just what I said. Don't smile that fake, empty smile. Feel free to lie to me as much as you like, but don't lie to yourself. When you're happy, smile and laugh your heart out. When you feel sad, cry until you can't cry any more. But don't smile when you feel sad. If you can't be honest with yourself, who can you be honest with, right?"

Naruto looked away from Rito with a frown on his face. "Yeah... You're right, Rito."

"Call my Ryan."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks... for everything, Ryan. Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Shoot. I won't guarantee that I'll answer, but you're free to ask me anything."

"Yesterday, when you came into the sitting room... Why do you look at life like that? How can you just accept death so easily?"

Rito stared at the space in front of him for awhile, contemplating his answer.

Naruto took his silence as an invitation to continue. "I mean, come on! 'The only constant in this world is death' Are you serious?"

"Is it not true? Tell me, Naruto: what else in this or any other world is an absolute constant?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but found himself coming up blank. After a few seconds of nothing coming out, he closed his mouth and turned away from Rito.

"That's what I thought... Naruto, you and I have lived difficult lives. We've somehow managed to survive this long. However the fact is that everything in this universe will one day perish. Even if someone was to find a way to live forever, they would only end up dying when the universe itself died of entropy.

"The truth is that all of us could die at any time. It's a very unpleasant fact, but a fact none the less. One day you can be enjoying your life with your loved ones, and the next they could all die from something you have absolutely no control over. Think about the night you were born, for example."

Naruto's head snapped over towards Rito, fury written on his face.

"Don't give me that look. It's true. Every person who survived that night was in the exact same position that we're in right this instant. They were happily living out their lives. You could die in ten minutes or in fifty years. You never know. Look, I know it's hard for you to understand, but that's just how I am. I'm as realistic as they come."

Naruto wasn't buying it. "So you're just telling me to lie down and accept that I'm going to die when I decide who gets to use that jewel?"

Rito snorted. "Hell no! Fight like a demon unleashed! No one's fate is set in stone. Sure, we're all going to die one day, but just because some prophet says you're going to die sometime soon doesn't make it true. I may have accepted death, but you'll never see me standing around and waiting for it to happen. And when my time does come, unless I'm an old man at the natural end of my time, you can bet a lifetime supply of ramen that I'm gonna fight it until my last breath!"

Naruto smiled and gave a nod, satisfied with that answer. A voice from nearby startled them both.

"Ano, is everything okay?"

The boys turned to see Hinata standing in front of them with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, we're fine, Hinata-chan. We're just taking a quick break. How're the locks coming?"

Hinata gave a small frown. "We're all stuck on the deadbolts. The one's with 'Master' on them."

Rito chuckled. "Those can be a pain the first time you work on them. Remember those 'security pins' I mentioned?"

"You mean the ones that make you think you set them right when they're really stuck?" she clarified.

Rito nodded. "Yup. Remember, find the pin with the most resistance and set that one first. Once you get better, you can try the 'raking' method. If it feels like the pin set, but you can't set any other pins afterward, go back and try again. If you still can't get it in twenty minutes, I'll go over and do it myself and then give you step by step instructions."

Hinata nodded before kneeling down in front of them. "Rito-san, that eye looks really bad. Let me put some of my cream on it."

"It's fine, Hinata-san. It'll fade in a week or so," Rito said with a grin.

"Listen to her, Ryan. I guarantee it'll heal by the end of the day if you use her cream. That stuff is awesome!"

Hinata blushed at her boyfriend's praise as she took out a small jar from her pocket. Rito shrugged and let her apply the cream to his eye and a few other places where injuries were visible. Instantly, the throbbing stopped and Rito could feel whatever was in the cream working its magic. She gave the same treatment to Naruto, except with a blush on her face the entire time. By the time she stood up and put away the jar, Rito was feeling better than when he woke up that morning.

"Holy crap! You said you _made_ that stuff?"

Hinata gave another timid nod. Rito looked at her in amazement. He shook his head after a few seconds. "You two are something special, you know that? Alright let's get back to work, Naruto. Dispel your _kage bushins_ and we'll see what you've learned."

Hinata smiled at the pair before returning to the patio to pass along the advice Rito had given.

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Rito now had an identical practice sword to Naruto's in his hand. "Alright, Naruto. Before we start, you will repeat what I say. Ready?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Because if you don't, I won't teach you? This is the mantra I learned when I first trained in _kenjutsu_. Now repeat after me: My sword is my life."

"My sword is my life," he repeated.

"If I lose my sword, my life is forfeit. Without me, my sword is nothing. Without my sword, I am nothing. My sword is a part of me. I will treat it with the same care as I would myself. Once my sword has been drawn in battle, it will not return to its sheath until it has tasted blood. To attack me is to die by my sword. I will only use my sword to defend myself and others. I will not use my sword to attack unless my enemy's death is assured."

Naruto repeated the entire mantra and looked Rito directly in the eyes. "It doesn't sound complete like that..."

Rito smiled. "It's not. There's one more part to it, but you don't say it unless you have _your_ sword in your hands. Seeing as neither of us does, it's not going to be said."

"Could you show me so that I know?" he asked.

Rito sighed before swinging the practice sword over his shoulder and sliding it down the back of his jacket. He then reached into his jacket and removed his _katana_ from its sheath, holding it vertically in front of him.

"I swear this oath in the name of my sword and my life: _Touniseimare_," he said solemnly, completing the mantra.

"You name your sword?" Naruto asked, awed at the blade's elegant, yet deadly gleam.

Rito sheathed _Born in Winter_ and readied the practice sword again. "Your sword is an extension of you. Therefore when you first take possession of _your_ sword, you must give it a piece of your very soul and let it taste your blood so that it knows you. Once it knows who wields it, you must give it a name. It must be a name that has a significant meaning to you and is not something you should choose on a whim. Once named, a sword will always be named so."

"I guess I get that… but why did you name your sword after the time of year you were born? I thought you said it should be significant?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I was born in August," Rito said as if that was all the explanation that was needed.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Just start thinking of a name for when you finally get your own sword. In the meantime, let's get started. We must pay our respects to the sword before and after we use it to practice. Do as I do," he said as he dropped into the _seiza_ position and repeated the same ritual he had performed earlier while Naruto copied him.

"Next we will repeat the mantra we just spoke. You can do it in your head if you'd like, but you must say it. We'll get started right after." Rito closed his eyes and waited a few seconds, knowing what was coming.

"Um… How did it go again?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

Rito just smiled, not bothering to open his eyes. "You'll memorize it soon enough. Repeat after me: My sword is my life."

"My sword is my life."

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With everyone focused on their individual tasks, no one noticed the figure watching the group from the treetops.

"Hmm... So this is where he ended up..."

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Author's Notes

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Yeah! That's right! A cliffy for all you non-reviewing people! What now?!

^_^ J/K

I'm not sure if the ramen etiquette is correct or not, but it sure sounds good to me so I'm sticking by it unless someone can prove otherwise! :-P I also pulled the sword etiquette from multiple sources, including a few fics by **lord of the land of fire**, but the mantra is all mine. If it's similar to anyone else's, I apologize for the unintended resemblance.

As for the _onigiri_, I know that fruit isn't traditionally used as a filling, but the only _onigiri_ I've had the pleasure of eating had strawberries as its filling. So that's what I based the ones in my story on.

I've got two big twists coming up in the following chapters. One has to deal with the mysterious figure and the other has to deal with Rito. Well, I guess Rito's also has to deal with the mysterious figure… but there's still two!

So who is the mysterious figure? Find out next chapter!

P.S. Still need a beta!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	15. A Night of Sound

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Ugh... My muse went on strike... I'm trying to be caring towards her, but she's making it an ordeal in itself. Long story short: I wanted to write chapters for my two existing stories and she wanted me to write a new story. I didn't listen and she got pissy until I wrote chapter one.

Anyway, he's chapter 15...

Enjoy!

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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'_Why can't I sleep?_' a restless Akiha asked herself as she attempted to fall asleep.

The girl turned on her side to try to find a better position, but nothing seemed to be working. After several more minutes of tossing about, she finally sighed in defeat as she sat up. She finally had to admit to herself that Rito Ryan sleeping down the hall bothered her more than she liked.

He had been an enigma from the very first time she'd laid eyes on him, and there was nothing Akiha hated more than a puzzle. In fact, if the two ninja hadn't come clean, she probably would have gone mad trying to figure them out after the first day. Being in proximity to the man all day, yet not being able to ask him anything had been a true test of her patience.

'_That must be it. My mind won't let me rest until I've figured him out,_' she decided. With her goal set, she put on a robe and quietly left her room. Walking to the opposite end of the mansion, she couldn't help but notice how eerie the moonlight shining through the windows made the mansion look. She shook off the feeling and continued on her way.

Stopping in front of the door to the room that Rito was staying in, she took a deep breath before knocking twice softly. Listening carefully for a response, she heard nothing but silence from the room. Knocking again, she quietly called out with her mouth close to the door. "Rito-san, are you awake?"

Again, she was greeted with silence. Holding her frustration in check, she went against her better judgment and started to open the door. "I'm coming in."

The sight that greeted her was unexpected to say the least. The covers on the bed were folded over to one side and Rito was nowhere to be seen. '_Where is he?_' she asked herself. Listening carefully, she heard the sounds of music coming from somewhere towards the middle of the mansion. Walking back into the foyer, she tried to located the source. She could now tell that the music was coming from somewhere upstairs.

Tracking it to its source, Akiha came upon the ajar door of the music room. Peeking inside she saw the figure of Rito, sans jacket, sitting at the piano bathed in the moonlight from the window as he played a light and slightly sad melody. She found herself entranced by it. He played for a few more seconds before sighing and looking up at the sheet of music in front of him. It seemed that she had caught him at an unguarded moment.

"Sorry I woke you, Akiha-san. I couldn't sleep and I didn't think anyone would hear me way back here," he said as he turned his head.

'_Or not..._' she thought to herself. "Is it yours?" she asked him as she walked into the room.

He nodded while wearing a frown. "It's completed, but I just can't shake the feeling that something's missing..."

Akiha stepped up behind him and looked at the score. It was a rather short song, but she could tell he was a decent composer just by how he structured his music. "Play it again."

Rito could tell from her tone that it wasn't an order; more a friendly request. As she walked towards the edge of the room, he shrugged and started to play again. He closed his eyes and let the music flow out of his body through his fingers. He still couldn't help but feel it was missing something.

After about a minute of playing, he reached a point with a slight pause. When he started playing again, he was mildly surprised to hear Akiha accompany him on the violin. He kept playing and found himself smiling as they harmonized seamlessly. As the song finished, both the piano and violin let the final note hang in the air.

After a few seconds of silence, Rito sighed in content. "That was perfect. I couldn't figure out what it was missing... I kept going back to try a different melody, but in the end what it needed was an accompanying instrument." He turned to the girl who was standing behind him with her instrument still in her hand. "Thank you, Akiha-san."

Turning back to his sheet music, he pulled out a couple of blank sheets and started to copy down the notes that Akiha had played with her violin from memory. After he had finished, he turned to the girl and held the out to her. "Is that right?"

Akiha took the music, sitting down next to him as she looked it over. After perusing the sheets, she found they were exactly the notes she had played. Turning to him, she gave him a questioning look. "You memorized everything I played after hearing it only once?"

He merely smiled. "I have an eidetic memory for music." He reached over and took the music back from the girl. Placing it in front of him, he took his pen and wrote "Wounds - Violin Accompaniment by Ryan Rito & Akiha Tohno" across the top of the front page. Moving it to the side, he took the sheets with the piano music and found the front page. Taking his pen in hand once again, he added Akiha's name behind his own on it as well.

Akiha blushed in embarrassment. This was the first time she had created anything original. What was more, it had actually completed the work of another musician and the musician had given her credit for it without blinking. Many musicians preferred to keep their works completely original without any outside help from others (aside from being inspired by whatever it was that inspired them). Rito apparently had no such qualms.

"Are you sure, Rito-san? I wouldn't care if you used it under your own name," she said trying to stop herself from blushing, failing miserably.

"Nonsense. If it hadn't been for you, I never would have considered that piece finished. It's been bugging me for the better part of the last year," he said as he smiled at the girl. "If there's one thing I hate, it's leaving something unfinished."

Saying that reminded Akiha of why she went in search of Rito in the first place. Her blush faded quickly as she remembered her original mission. "That's right... I remember now. You didn't wake me up, Rito-san. I came looking for you." She faced Rito directly with a determined expression on her face. Rito raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really? Mind if I ask why?" he asked with an easy smile.

"I can't help but be intrigued by you. You're like a puzzle that has to be solved. There are parts of you that are so easy to understand, but underneath that you're a complete mystery. You're obviously a businessman from the way you ran that stand at the festival, yet you have the skill set of a professional burglar. You always seem happy go lucky, but your personal outlook on life is so cold. You almost always smile, but I can't help but feel that you're forcing yourself to be that way. I understand you had a bad childhood, but there's so much that that I _don't_ understand about you."

She sighed before continuing. "What is it about you that makes me want to crack open your head to see how your mind ticks? If there's one thing that I can't stand it's a mystery, and you are the biggest mystery I've ever had the displeasure of being associated with."

Rito chuckled lightly at the girl as he leaned against the top of the piano with one arm. "Interesting... Okay then, Akiha-san. In thanks for completing my piece, I'll let you ask me any three questions that I promise to answer truthfully. Besides, my mysteriousness is obviously bothering you enough to keep you awake and it would be rude to make my hostess lose sleep over something like this. One thing though..."

Rito turned towards the open doorway with a smile. "Could you make us some tea, Nanaya-san? A black tea if you would, please?" The two of them heard a light giggle from the hallway as Nanaya appeared in the doorway.

"Of course, Rito-sensei. How did you know I was there?" she asked, matching the man's smile with her own.

"I heard one of the floorboards creak as you came down the hall. Try keeping towards the walls, they generally creak less there," he replied.

"Rats... Okay, be right back!" she called good naturedly as she left. He turned back to the girl next to him.

"Ask away."

She gave careful thought to what she would ask. Once she decided on her first question, she was interrupted before she had a chance to open her mouth to ask it. An insistent beeping from Rito's pocket caught both of their attentions.

Cursing, Rito grabbed a PDA from his pocket and hit the touch screen with the stylus. Looking at it upside down, she could still tell that it showed the layout of the mansion. A red dot was flashing on the map near the back of the building. "Crap. Stay here, Akiha-san. Looks like a burglar."

He was up and through the door in a flash, not giving Akiha any chance to argue with or question him. He sprinted down the hallway and caught up to Nanaya at the bottom of the steps. "Nanaya! Don't go to the kitchen!"

The girl turned around in surprise. "Why not?"

"There's a burglar trying to break in. Go back to your room while I deal with it. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes." He didn't even give her time to reply before he was sprinting down the hallway to his room. Once inside, he made a beeline for his bag and grabbed his _katana_, strapping it to his side as he quickly made his way back out of the room.

Back in the foyer, he pulled his PDA back out to check the status of the intruder only to find that he was in the dining room. Steeling himself for the worst case scenario, he walked to the entrance to the room. Only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder as he took his first step. Looking back, he saw Akiha standing with a angry expression on her face.

"I'll deal with this, Rito-san. It _is_ my house," she said with ice in her voice. Rito knew that if he argued with the girl, he would just lose. So he just kept his mouth shut and nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" The pair turned to the intruder with fire in their eyes. He held up is hands in a placating manner. "Now, now. No need to be hostile. I'm just here to take care of some unfinished business for my master. Nothing that concerns the two of you."

Rito placed his right hand on his blade and stepped forward with his left leg. He was once again stopped by Akiha as she stepped in front of him with her arms crossed in front of her.

"My, I seem to be getting lots of guests in such a short time. As a hostess, I must apologize for not being able to greet you as you entered; that was rude of me. However I can't help but point out that you were uninvited, so I must ask you to leave the same way you came. I will only give you this one chance before I take action myself."

They still couldn't see the figure clearly, but they could both easily tell that he wasn't phased by her threat in the least. Rito wasn't surprised considering Akiha didn't really have an imposing figure, but he couldn't help but wonder what exactly the girl was planning.

The figure chuckled. "Unfortunately I am unable to comply with your request. I came here to kill two people and to find out where my agent ended up after that fiasco in Konoha. I've found my agent, but I still haven't killed the two thorns in Orochimaru-sama's side, therefore I'll have to ask you to stand aside so I can complete my mission. Otherwise I'll be forced to kill you as well," he said as he pushed up his glasses, which glinted in the moonlight. Rito couldn't help but shiver as he felt the man's gaze fall on him when he spoke of his 'agent'. He really had to kill his alternate self if he ever met that bastard...

All of a sudden Rito was forced to back away from Akiha as the temperature near her rose considerably. Looking at the girl, the first thing he noticed was that her hair had changed color from jet black to crimson red. The second thing he noticed was that her hair seemed to have a life of its own. Before anything else could happen, Rito and Akiha felt an intense amount of killing intent from behind them.

"KABUTO! What the hell are you doing here?!" yelled an enraged Naruto. Shiki, who had been standing around the corner listening to the conversation, reached out and tried to grab the boy to stop him.

"Dammit Naruto! Get back over here! He's after _you_!"

Kabuto merely smiled at the boy. "Ah, Naruto-kun. Just who I was looking for! Now that you're here, I'll have to ask you to be a good jinchuriki and die. It would be a problem for Orochimaru-sama if Akatsuki got its hands on you."

Naruto, knowing how dangerous the man was, immediately called out his tenant. "_Kyuubi bushin no jutsu!_" Next to him appeared the human version of the fox.

"**About time, Kit. I haven't had a crack at this kid yet and we still owe him for almost killing us before,**" the fox growled. As Akiha and Rito moved out of the line of fire slightly, Kyuubi crouched slightly and made ready to pounce forward. But before he could do so, two loud bangs rang through the house. Suddenly, the Kyuubi Clone ceased to exist and Naruto was on the ground clutching at his left shoulder, blood beginning to pool on the marble floor of the foyer.

"NARUTO-KUN!" screamed Hinata as she dashed to her boyfriend from the hallway where she had been watching the scene play out. As she slid the last few feet on her knees, her hands were already glowing with chakra as she started to perform a basic healing jutsu, ignoring the danger she was putting herself into in the process.

Holding up the weapon in his hand to admire it, Kabuto spoke with wonder in his voice. "Intriguing things, these 'guns'. Capable of sending a projectile at an enemy faster than a human can perceive. I think Orochimaru-sama would love the chance to study them as soon as possible. Well, this won't take much longer considering my other target has appeared," he said as he pointed the weapon at the pair on the floor.

Rito knew it was now or never. He again put his right hand on his sword and stepped towards the silver-haired boy, causing his aim to shift to him. "As if, you fucking dumbass! You don't even know how to account for recoil, yet you somehow think you can use it to kill anyone? Ha! I know four-year-old kids that could outshoot you!"

Kabuto's expression soured. "I just shot the great Kyuubi dead, so what makes you think you're immune?" he asked, tightening his grip on the weapon.

Rito barked out another laugh, much to the consternation of the other natives from Japan. "You didn't even hit him anywhere fatal! You nicked his damn shoulder! Even _I_ know that it only takes a scratch to dispel a Shadow Clone! What're you gonna do to me? Give me a flesh wound? HA!"

Rito was bluffing big time. He'd seen the bullet impact Kyuubi in the center of the chest, but was banking on the hope that Kabuto couldn't tell due to the low light and his apparent inexperience with using the weapon. It had only been that inexperience that saved Naruto's life, causing Kabuto's aim to be off due to the recoil.

The one thing Rito was certain of was that at the range he was at now, he could take off the boy's arm with his first slash before he could pull the trigger, or at least close enough to the same time to give the others time to deal with him regardless of what happened to him. The only thing that concerned him was that Kabuto was aiming for his head instead of his chest.

'_Well, at least it'll be painless..._'

Kabuto's eyes narrowed and he leveled the gun right between Rito's eyes, not even five feet away. "I think I'll kill you first, just to prove how wrong you are."

"Wanna know something, Kabuto? You talk too much..." Rito said with a smirk.

Kabuto's eyes deadened. "_Sayonara_."

Unfortunately for the traitor, he had not noticed the nearly invisible strands of hair that had been closing the gap between himself and the angry hostess, having dismissed her as inconsequential. "_DIE!_" she yelled as her hair completely wrapped the silver-haired boy and sucked the heat from his body. Kabuto never had a chance to react.

The intruder gave an inhuman scream as his body was turned into a pile of ash in less ten seconds. Thankfully the scream was short lived thanks to the air being sucked from his lungs by the intense heat. The only things left behind were his ashes and the handgun, which he had dropped almost immediately after his body began to cook.

Akiha's instinct to destroy the gun was preempted by Rito walking over and picking it up. Racking the slide back and catching the round that flew out expertly, he ejected the clip, hit the slide release, and pulled the trigger on the empty chamber before putting the safety on. He casually put the weapon in the small of his back and replaced the ejected round in the clip before pocketing that as well. The whole process had taken less time than toasting Kabuto.

Before Akiha could go off on the man, a light chuckle could be heard from the blond on the ground. They both turned to see the blond grinning weakly with Nanaya patching up the wound with gauze and medical tape after applying Hinata's cream while Hinata continued to use her healing jutsu. "Guess even his regenerating jutsu is useless if you broil his ass alive. Thanks, , Ryan... Akiha. I owe you one." He paused as his eyes slightly glazed over. "Kyuubi says 'thanks', too," he continued after a moment.

Hinata broke her gaze from her love and sent Rito and Akiha a beseeching look. "What was that thing he used? I've never seen anything like it."

"Hopefully you never will again either," commented Rito seriously. "It's a type of weapon commonly called a 'gun'. I won't go into the mechanics of how it works, especially since I _really_ don't want that kind of technology going back with you to your dimension. I don't even want to consider the repercussions it would have on your world if weaponry like this was commonplace. It's bad enough our wars use them..."

"Then let me destroy it," Akiha said seriously, her eyes and hair still ablaze.

Rito merely looked at her. "No. If anyone else comes looking for trouble, I'd like to know that I have the capability to kill them before they have a chance to hurt anyone else." He pointed at Naruto, who was just starting to get to his feet, to emphasize his point.

Akiha was staring daggers at the giant. "Hyuuga-san, Nii-san. Please take Uzumaki-san back to his room. Nanaya, please prepare some tea for all of us since we're all awake. Hisui, please dispose of _that_," she said, not even bothering to point, knowing the maid would know what she meant. The whole time her eyes never left Rito's.

She received various affirmatives from the group as they went about their tasks. Rito simply pointed a thumb towards the back porch before turning and making his way there. Akiha followed closely on his heels.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata carefully helped Naruto into his bed while Shiki double checked the boy's bandages. Thanks to his tenant, his wound was almost completely healed, but Hinata was having none of Naruto's protests. Seeing no way to wiggle free of his bed while under the scrutiny of his uncharacteristically stern girlfriend, he relented and settled himself.

Shiki left the two of them alone to go assist Nanaya in bringing everyone tea while giving them some privacy at the same time. As the door closed, Naruto sighed and fidgeted slightly since the bandages were making him itch. Hinata was sitting next to him on the bed, looking at him silently, her eyes shadowed in the low light.

He grinned slightly to try reassuring her, but stopped short as the girl started sobbing silently. "Hinata-chan?" he asked tentatively, worried.

Suddenly the girl launched herself at his chest and started bawling, unable to hold back any longer now that they were alone.

"Baka! Naruto, you are such a baka, baka, baka!" she yelled into his chest as she beat on his good shoulder to emphasize her point. Naruto did the only thing he could think of and held onto the her tightly until she had cried herself out.

He was torn between wanting to smile in happiness that he had somehow managed to get a girl like Hinata to love him and wanting to punch himself for being the one that made her cry because of his rashness. Admittedly it was Kabuto's fault, but he could have just as easily hung back and let Akiha and Ryan handle it instead of running out and yelling like that.

He had never thought twice about doing things like that in the past. Then again, he never had someone who loved him as much as Hinata did. Now he had a reason to stay safe other than his dream of becoming Hokage. He looked down at the girl who was now sleeping on top of him while clutching his bare chest, his shirt already removed by Nanaya to apply the bandages, and shook his head at his own stupidity.

'_I've got to start thinking before I act... I could have easily died right then if Ryan and Akiha-san hadn't acted when they did. Then what would have happened?_'

'_**More than likely your mate would still be alive due to my descendant or Rito killing him, but she would probably be heartbroken and useless afterwards,**_' the fox answered stoicly.

'_You really think Ryan could have killed Kabuto, Kyu? I'm not so sure..._'

'_**You weren't watching him like I was. If Akiha hadn't acted, Rito would have taken that boy's arm off in a second, followed by his head. You've seen what he's capable of doing with that sword of his... Besides, he didn't know that she could do anything like that, so he was already planning on taking him down without help.**_'

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed internally. '_I really am an idiot sometimes aren't I?'_

'_**YES!**_'

'_YES!_'

The dual response surprised the blond and he opened an eye to look at the girl on his chest, only to find her still fast asleep. '_Hinata-chan?_'

'_**Hold on a second, Kit.**_' Suddenly, Naruto felt unconsciousness overtake him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shiki opened the door for Nanaya, who was carrying the tray of tea she had prepared, only to find Naruto and Hinata sleeping peacefully on his bed, the girl apparently having cried herself to sleep.

The two shared a smile and quietly closed the door to let them sleep in peace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto awoke in what he immediately recognized as his own mindscape. However it was slightly different than he remembered it being the last time he had been there. It still resembled a sewer, but gone was the water and the mold coating the walls. He pondered the changes as he made his was along the corridors long ago memorized until he came upon the familiar chamber containing Kyuubi's cage.

The first thing he noticed was the figure leaning against one of the bars to the cage.

"Hinata-chan? What're you doing in here?" he asked, confused at this new development.

Ignoring his question, she pushed off the surface and stomped her way across the chamber until she was directly in front of the blond. Her eyes were blazing and her expression was severe. Naruto was taken back by the intensity of his girlfriend's glare. Needless to say, he was even more surprised by what she said next.

"Uzumaki Naruto, if you _ever_ do something that foolish in front of me again, I'll shut down all of your _tenketsu _and beat you into a pulp myself! And don't think you'll be getting Kyuubi's help either, because he's already agreed with me on this!" she yelled, tears in her eyes.

Naruto looked back and forth between Hinata and the cage behind her, at a loss for words for once in his life. Finally he settled his gaze upon the girl in front of him again and pulled her into a tender hug. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

The girl finally broke down in his arms, clutching onto him as if she intended to keep him from leaving ever again. Time seemed to stand still as they stood there, just holding one another with their eyes closed, until Hinata's tears finally seemed to come to an end.

She spoke so softly, Naruto almost missed what she said.

"I can't lose you. I _won't_ lose you, too. I love you too much..."

"Hinata?" he asked, looking down at the girl confusedly thinking that he heard her wrong.

The lavender-eyed girl looked up in a shock, realizing she had said that out loud. The shock quickly turned to determination as she pulled him down into a fierce kiss without any prior warning. Naruto was so stunned that he simply stood there doing nothing until Hinata started to let up a bit.

As she broke the kiss, she began to blush deeply. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. It's jus-"

She never got to finish as Naruto leaned down and continued where she had left off, his brain finally having restarted, causing _her_ mind to shut down.

After what felt like hours, the couple heard someone clear their throat.

"**Eh-hem!**"

Hinata and Naruto broke the kiss, but still held each other as they turned to the cage they had forgotten was there.

"**Get a room, you two,**" the fox snorted.

Naruto looked down at Hinata, who was once again blushing. Without taking his eyes off the girl, he smiled widely and answered. "Sure thing. There's got to be an unused room somewhere in this place. Let's go Hinata-chan." He started to walk away with his arm around her shoulder.

He didn't get far due to Hinata passing out at the implied meaning behind the blond's words. Naruto, expecting this reaction, caught her easily with a small chuckle and walked to the back of the chamber where he laid her next to the wall, kissing her lips softly before turning back to the cage.

"Okay Kyuubi. Let's talk," he said with a determined expression.

"**Indeed.**"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why won't you let me destroy that infernal thing?"

"Because, we don't know that there aren't more people out there and I'd like to know that the playing field is in my favor if they show up."

"Not good enough! I'll take care of any other intruders the same way I took care of the last one. We don't need a _gun_."

"Good. Then you defend your family and your other two guests. I'll defend myself."

Akiha began to vibrate with anger, her hair still crimson from the encounter with Kabuto. "Oh, so you don't want to be defended by a _girl_? Or is it just me?" she asked, her tone dangerous.

Rito shook his head. "Nothing to do with it. In case you didn't notice, it wasn't just Naruto and Hinata he was here for. He looked at _me_ when he mentioned his agent. I'm hating the me from their dimension more and more every time I hear about him. If more people come for us, I want to be able to take them out quickly."

Akiha let her anger fade as his answer mollified her, but she still wasn't backing down.

"That _thing_ is not staying in my house. So either you get rid of it, or I will." She expected him to argue, or possibly even give in. What she didn't expect was for him to turn away from her and walk back inside. She was so shocked, her hair changed back to normal without her even realizing it.

Rito walked back through the dining room and into the foyer, passing Hisui (who had just finished sweeping and was beginning to mop up the blood from Naruto) and making his way down the hallway to the room he had been given. He quickly grabbed his jacket off the coat hanger and put it on as he made his way to the foot of the bed. Picking up his bags and throwing them on, he left the room and began walking down the hall again.

He saw Shiki and Nanaya closing the door to Naruto's room and saw their surprised expressions. "Rito-san? What's going on? Did Akiha kick you out?"

He stopped and shook his head. "No, she didn't kick me out. I decided to leave on my own. I'll be back in the morning so we can train."

"But why? It's almost one in the morning! Just stay for the night and we'll work out whatever the problem is in the morning, okay?"

Rito shook his head again and took a cup of tea from the tray Nanaya was holding. "Sorry. No can do." He downed the hot beverage in one go and let out a satisfied 'Ahh' as he placed the cup back on the tray. "Thanks Nanaya-san. Don't worry about it Shiki. I'll see you in a few hours." With that, he walked back into the foyer where he found Akiha waiting for him with her arms crossed.

"So this is your answer? You're just going to leave?" she asked in an emotionless voice.

"Yup. I'm not going to argue or butt heads with you over this. Not worth it. Tell Naruto to take it easy when he wakes up. I'll be back around nine AM so we can keep training."

"And if I don't allow you to come back as long as you have that thing?"

He shrugged. "Then they lose out on training and you don't get to ask your three questions. If I'm not welcome, then I'm not welcome. Simple as that. Think it over and let me know in the morning." He started to walk past her to the back door. She didn't move to stop him or even turn around as he passed her. He opened the door and turned back to her. "_Ja_."

The door closed and clicked as it was locked from the outside.

Shiki came out from the hallway to find Rito gone and Akiha standing in the foyer with her hair shadowing her face, not making any movement at all. "What did you say to him, Akiha?"

She looked up at her brother's voice with a distant expression. Without answering him, she turned and walked down the hallway leading to her room leaving Shiki to stare after her until the door closed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rito could feel multiple sets of eyes on him as he locked the door to the mansion with his tools. Replacing them in his jacket, he turned and narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell exactly where they were, but he knew there was at least ten people out there somewhere in the forest.

'_Damn... I hate it when I'm right. Why does this keep happening to me? Oh yeah. Because I can't keep my fucking nose out of other people's business..._' he grumbled to himself. '_Okay... What would be the best way to deal with this situation?_' Suddenly, he saw a glint from up in the trees. He braced himself for an attack, but was surprised when it kept going.

'_Almost like a signal..._' he thought. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was on the other side of the door before dashing towards the tree line as quietly as he could. Passing into the trees, he increased his speed since he could see fairly clearly due to the full moon. After a minute or so of running, he began hearing several of the ninja in the trees above him.

He stopped and waited for whatever happened next. He didn't have to wait long. In a flash, he was surrounded by a dozen figures.

"Rito Izuru-sama? Where is Kabuto-sama?" the ninja directly in front of him asked in an oddly familiar voice. Her face was covered by a mask and her uniform was either cow-print or forest camo; he couldn't tell in the low light. The _hitai-ate_ she wore had a musical note in the center of it. Rito had to act fast or he was a dead man.

"Hai. Kabuto is dead. He underestimated the skills of those in the mansion and was killed. Who's senior?" he asked sternly, hoping his act held up.

The ninja surrounding him looked back and forth at each other. The one in front of him spoke again. "That would be you Rito-sama."

He nodded. "Thought as much. Alright, we're not equipped to handle the people harboring the demon and his whore, therefore I'm ordering you to keep a watch on the mansion round the clock. No action is to be taken against them without my say so. My cover is still good, so I'm going back tomorrow to keep up that act. How are supplies?" he asked the lead ninja.

"We've been outfitted with rations and supplies for three days in the field. Standard weapon load plus a few of our specialty tools. Do you know what happened to the weapon that Kabuto-sama acquired?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Rito decided it would be best to use it to his advantage. "Hai. I've got it with me. The girl wanted to destroy it, but I grabbed it before she could dispose of it. We argued and I left."

The ninja looked slightly worried. "Are you sure that your cover is still good, Rito-sama?"

"It'll be fine. They won't attack me. Do any of you have one of those weapons?" he asked, looking to the gathered ninja, who had finally all come to stand in front of him. He received negatives all around, causing him to sigh in relief. Thankfully, they thought it was in frustration.

"Alright. I want four man teams watching each corner of the mansion. Switch off between teams every two hours. If you're not on watch, you're getting sleep. No fires. No tents. Sleep in the trees. Wake me at seven AM." With that turned and focused inward for a moment.

The lead ninja gave him a weird look and spoke. "Uh, Rito-sama... what are you doing?"

'_Fuck... forgot. I'm supposed to be a ninja!_' he thought, mentally kicking himself. However he was a master of lying his way out of binds like this. He didn't miss a beat.

"When I blundered into the portal leading to this dimension, whatever caused it messed with my chakra network and my memory a bit. Now I can't even jump my own height unless I focus." As he explained, he focused the energy into his legs like he did when he ran. He then jumped toward the tree and looked directly up as his foot hit and stuck, running ten feet up the side before reaching out and grabbing the lowest branch, which was twenty feet in the air, and swinging himself up.

It was awkward with the bags, but he managed it without too much trouble. Once he'd regained his feet, he began hopping up the tree from branch to branch. The ninja had apparently bought his story and began to make camp in the trees around him while one team of four disappeared. Once he was fifty or so feet up, he found a comfortable branch and hung his bags on a couple of sturdy ones before settling himself in for the night.

He closed his eyes and thanked whatever diety that was watching over him from the bottom of his heart. '_If I didn't know how to focus my _chi_, I would be dead right now._'

He suddenly felt the branch he was laying on vibrate slightly. Without opening his eyes, he addressed the lead ninja (who seemed to be the only one talking to him). "How did you guys track me down? Better yet, how did you even get to this dimension? I thought I'd be stuck here forever."

He could hear the smile in the girl's voice. "We heard a trio of girls in town mention your name yesterday. One of them was complaining about you ditching them. So I lead the search for you while Kabuto-sama tracked down more information. As to how we got here... Orochimaru-sama's new body's _kekei genkai_ has an ability that can send matter to another dimension. I don't know the specifics, but I was glad that we were able to come and search for you."

The girl paused for a few seconds before speaking up again, only he almost missed her question because her voice was so quiet. "Did you really lose your memories Izuru-kun?" Rito opened his eyes and looked up at the girl, who looked sad despite the lower half of her face being covered by a mask. He just nodded solemnly.

The girl walked toward him and squatted by his feet, coming to eye level with him. She then pulled down the mask, revealing the face of the girl he had left standing at the bus station in Shinjuku.

"Sayuri-chan?!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meh... this one took a lot out of me. I rewrote the last 7 pages about 10 times before I decided that this was acceptable. I was actually excited about writing this chapter, but my inspiration just went away halfway through... Well, even though I'm not excited, I hope you all enjoyed the twists I threw in there.

In case you all haven't noticed, I suck at fight scenes... so if anyone feels they can spice up the action in this chapter, feel free to send me a fight scene (that doesn't badly damage the mansion) for the Kabuto encounter and/or the fight from Chapter 11. I'll give you credit and loads of appreciation! XD

The song played by Rito and Akiha can be heard on the Tsukihime OST. The song is called Wounds, just like in the fic. ^_^

I'm kicking around the idea of putting this story on hold for a bit. My muse just isn't into it these days... However, I will not abandon it! There are like NO Naruto/Tsukihime fanfics out there and I've got things planned for future chapters, so rest assured that Mystic Eyes isn't going to die. She'd probably feel more inspired if I had a beta (hint, hint).

I'll let you guys know when I do. In the meantime, I'll be doing beta work of my own for **eternalshiva**'s story 'A small crack in perfection'. Check it out! ^_^

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	16. Explanations in the Twilight

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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*Sigh* I tried to write the next chapter to Walking a Different Path, but nothing is coming to me!

Anyway, I thought I'd try to pump out another chapter for this story until I get some inspiration... For any interested, my newest story, Kitsune-san, is posted for your perusal. It's a rather short first chapter, but pretty much all of my first chapters are... I haven't decided if I'm going to continue writing it yet.

Much thanks from me to **eternalshiva** for offering to beta this story. After the first chapter she did, I realized that it _really _needed to be cleaned up. Thanks for all the hard work you do!

Okay, here's Chapter 16.

Enjoy!

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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"Sayuri-chan?!"

The girl's face lit up with a smile as she put a finger to her lips. "Quiet, Izuru-san. You don't want to give our position away, do you?" she asked teasingly. She sat facing him, straddling the branch. "So, do you remember who I am?"

Rito shook his head lightly, recovering from his shock. "Sorry, no... The name just popped into my head when I saw your face," he tilted his head as he glanced at her "so I guess my mind recognizes you even though I don't... if _that_ makes any sense." He puzzled a moment over the train of thought. "So... Sayuri, huh? Nice name," he couldn't help but grin as her name rolled off his tongue.

Her lips curved upwards to mirror his for just a moment before her expression fell and she sighed with frustration.

"Damn... I was hoping we'd really be able to find you, and I'm _so_ relieved that we did, but I'd hoped you'd be completely alright," she said cryptically. Her gaze softened, "Do you think you'll ever remember your past?" she asked with concern.

Rito shrugged. "Don't know. We can only hope." He fidgeted a moment, feeling uncomfortable with her obvious distress. He knew it would be difficult to bullshit his way through this, but he didn't realize that he'd be toying with a girl's emotions in order to pull it off. It was something that didn't sit well with him.

"So," he said slightly louder to change the subject, "why did you come looking for me?" he was naturally curious about her motives, "And what made you think to look for me in another dimension?" he puzzled.

The girl's expression fell slightly and she flashed a sad smile that he almost missed. "Well, at first everyone thought you were dead." Rito forced himself to remain passive at that comment so that he wouldn't inadvertently screw himself later. If his face betrayed what he truly thought, it could end up getting him killed in short order. Unaware of Rito's inner turmoil, the girl continued.

"One of Danzo's Root operatives found your body in the middle of the forest after sensing a portal similar to the one the demon made in the valley." She paused momentarily and took a deep breath. "When the operative got there, the portal was nowhere to be seen... but your body was..." she let her voice drift off as her eyes lowered. "Your entire spine had been ripped out."

Rito's mind began working overtime. What could have possibly killed his alter self in such a gruesome way? '_This is going to be difficult to bullshit..._' He was about to open his mouth to try to explain, but she continued before he could get out a sound, oblivious to his actions.

"Kabuto-sama inspected your body," she looked away a moment, her mind wandering over the memory, "he said that the only ones who could have done such a precise job of removing the spine while in battle, other than himself, were Tsunade and you." he kept watching her closely as she delved deeper into her memories. He hoped to divine something, _anything_, from her body language and words that could pull him out of the fire he'd made for himself.

"He considered Tsunadebecause of her strength and you for your precise skill with knives and the chakra scalpel." She looked up with a bright smile, her previous melancholy vanishing like the wind. "Since we knew Tsunade was dead, that meant that you had to be alive and just gone through the portal that the operative sensed." Rito gave her a small smile in response to her change in attitude.

She looked Rito over from head to toe with a curious expression on her face. Meeting his gaze once again, she tilted her head slightly and asked, "So who was he?"

Rito shook his head to indicate ignorance, mentally grateful for her expressive personality and detailed story. It gave him enough time to come up with a believable story of his own on the spot, the story he'd overheard from Kyuubi surfacing in his mind.

He gave a shrug and wove his tale together quickly. "Don't know. I was chasing after the group that got away with the villagers when the portal opened up in front of me. As you can imagine, it surprised the hell out of me." The girl leaned forward, hanging on his every word. He knew he had to be careful, but was glad his initial hook had set. He schooled his expression to show annoyance as he continued.

"A guy that looked just like me except for the clothes fell out of it. He barely caught one of the branches before he fell, but he pulled himself up quickly and spotted me. Now that I think back, he looked as surprised as I was, truth be told." He shifted his eyes towards the sky, as if trying hard to remember the event. "I figured it was some sort of henge or genjutsu, so when my dispel didn't work, I attacked and killed him," he said with a shrug.

"I... went a little overboard on him," he said with chagrin. He noticed the girl grimace slightly out of his peripheral vision and deduced that she must have looked at the corpse. He decided to keep his story moving along so that they could get past this part quickly. Lying to her was really difficult now that he'd seen his 'girlfriend's' face.

"I was angry that someone had tried to fool me with something stupid like a henge... but when he didn't change back after I took out his spine, I realized the possibility of him being an alternate version of myself." He brought his gaze back down the Sayuri with a furrowed brow. "I'd already felt the first portal open and close behind me from point Omega, so I figured there was a possibility that the demon brat had escaped through one. I knew that if that was what happened, I only had one chance to go through before it disappeared. So I switched our cloths and jumped into the portal." The girl nodded, agreeing with the logic.

He reached into his pocket for his wallet as he continued, causing her to follow the movement with her eyes. "I came out in the middle of these woods and passed out. When I finally came to, I found that my chakra wasn't working properly and that I couldn't remember anything from before the battle at point Omega except that I was a spy for the Sound Village." He pulled out the leather container and opened it up, keeping his eyes focused on his hands. "I figured since I'd killed my alternate self, I might as well take over his persona and see what I could find using him as a cover." He took out his driver's license from the U.S. and held it out to Sayuri.

She looked at it and rotated it from side to side with a quizzical expression, finally looking up at Rito again. "What does it say?" she asked, causing him to chuckle lightly.

"No clue. I figure it tells what his name is at the very least, but I can't read the damn thing." He took the identification back from her and replaced it in the wallet. He started to put it back into his pants pocket as he talked. "I finally managed to track down a dictionary in a book store to try and translate it, but never got the chance to use it," he said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out the pocket-sized dictionary he'd picked up in Shinjuku.

"When I made my way into the village, I ran into those three girls you mentioned and they were calling me 'Ryan-kun' and 'Rito-kun', so I figured the guy's name must be Rito Ryan."

Shrugging, he put away the dictionary with a slight flourish. '_So far, so good..._' he thought with an internal sigh of relief.

Sayuri had an amazed look on her face as she shook her head. "Wow... that's one hell of a story, Izuru-san. I'd almost say it's _unbelievable_, except..." Rito tensed imperceptibly, praying that he hadn't screwed up. Thankfully, the girl threw her arms up and rotated her head to look at everything around them. "Well, _look_ where we are! In a completely different dimension and fifty feet up a tree. I don't know about you, but _I've_ never seen a non-ninja run up a tree before." She brought her attention back to Rito with relief written in permanent marker across her face.

"Even if your chakra is acting up, that alone proves who you are to me," she said with a happy grin. Rito let out the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and returned her smile.

"So... Ryan, huh? Nice name," she said, copying his earlier statement with a little extra cheek.

Rito chuckled. "You're going to be that way, eh? Fine! Just for that, your team has the next watch."

"Hey!"

Rito put a finger to his lips, mimicking _her_, and said, "Quiet, Sayuri-chan. You don't want to give our position away, do you?" She burst out laughing at his antics, causing him to shake his head at her disregard of her own advice. "Alright. Get some sleep. I know _I_ need some. Remember, 7 A.M…"

She gave him a saucy wink as she leaned forward. "Wake you up. Got it."

"Good. _Oyasumi_," he said with a smile as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

The girl returned it, unseen to Rito, as she stood on the branch. "_Oyasumi_, Izuru-san. Good to have you back." With that, she jumped lightly to another branch on the same tree and settled herself in for a few hours of sleep.

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"How did Kabuto get here? I thought the only way to cross dimensions was through that "Kaleidoscope Magic" stuff you learned from that Zelretch guy!" Naruto said to Kyuubi with an annoyed expression on his face.

"**I never said it was the **_**only**_** way, just the only way I knew of. As to how... what do you know about **_**kekkei genkai**_** and how they are made, Kit?**" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I know that Konohagakure has a lot of them compared to other villages, but I don't know anything about how they're made," the blond responded.

"**Okay then. It's time for Bloodlines 101, Kit. Make yourself comfortable. This may take awhile.**"

Naruto sat on the floor and waited for the fox to begin. "Alright."

"**Right. Bloodline Limits are created by merging human blood with demon blood.**" Naruto's eyebrow shot up sharply. He leaned forward slightly, now _very_ interested with where this conversation was going. Naruto gave a slight smile as he noticed the similarity between his tone and that of Iruka-sensei's. Ignoring him, Kyuubi continued on. "**This can be done by several methods.**"

"**The first is for the demon to willingly gift their blood to a human they favor. Being a consensual act, this is the preferred method for gaining the abilities of the demon donor since there is really nothing to interfere with the transfer, resulting in very few side effects, if any.**" Naruto nodded mutely in understanding, urging the fox to continue.

"**The second method is for a human and demon to mate. Seeing as the mating rituals of different kinds of demons vary, certain abilities transfer easier during a consensual act while others require more... **_**forceful**_** methods to get the best results.**"

Naruto interrupted at this point. "Like how you mated with Kouma Tomoyo and your kids and their descendants all had different abilities?" he asked.

"**Correct. Though I have to say that I was quite surprised when Akiha mentioned that they lost control and gave in to their instincts. That's usually a sign of a weak will or an incompatible genealogy.**" Though the fox didn't notice it, the blond cocked his head to one side in confusion. However, as Kyuubi continued, Naruto just shrugged and returned his concentration to the fox."**Seeing as Akiha herself is in control of her powers, I want to think it's the former. Usually, a clan that inherits the power of a Bloodline learns how to control it early on. It's very rare to see cases like the Tohno's.**"

The fox paused in his lecture for a moment to glance down at his container, expecting the boy to say or ask something else. Naruto only shrugged, not bothering to try figuring out what a 'genealogy' was or why it mattered. He'd long ago learned when to ask questions and when to shut up when dealing with the fox. Kyuubi snorted as he continued.

"**Now, the third method is the least desirable as there are **_**always**_** side effects; good and bad. Want to take a guess?**"

Naruto thought for a moment before speaking. "Is it by forcing the demon to give its powers?" He was rewarded with a nod from the Kyuubi as he continued.

"**Correct. That is the case with you and I. I am not sealed inside you of my own free will, yet you are able to use my chakra with few limitations. You also have larger than normal chakra reserves to counteract mine, incredible stamina, and accelerated healing.**" Naruto smiled, remembering all the times those very powers had saved his life. His good mood was short lived as his prisoner kept going.

"**The only **_**negative**_** effect of me being sealed inside you is the fact that when you get angry, I am able to influence your actions to an extent. That and your crappy chakra control,**" the fox said with a grin, causing Naruto to give the fox a one-fingered salute. Kyuubi ignored his container as he chuckled.

"**In fact, I'm certain that if there was a way to safely remove my being from your body, you would very likely retain all of those traits that you've grown accustomed to while getting a major boost in chakra control.**" Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, so now that I understand how Bloodline Limits came to be, what does that have to do with Kabuto being in this dimension?" Naruto asked. The fox sighed as he lay down inside his prison.

"**I was getting to that." Kyuubi tried to keep his patience in check. " A little less than two hundred years ago, before the creation of Konohagakure, I met a pair of men that had been cast out from their clan, the Hyuuga. Their names were Madara and Shinji, two brothers that had been disgraced by their own and sworn vengeance.**" The blond furrowed his brow in thought as he listened. He never knew that the Uchiha and Hyuuga were related.

'_Maybe that's why there was always bad blood between them,_" he thought to himself, almost missing the next part.

"**After losing my mate, I was wary of any ninja I encountered.**" Kyuubi paused momentarily before continuing, the memories still raw,** "However, they told me of how their clan had killed both of their mates and cast them out for going against the practices of the Hyuuga, calling them 'unpure' and 'abomination'.**" Naruto's curious expression morphed to one filled with disgust. Along with the common 'demon' and 'bastard fox', he was occasionally called similar epithets to the two brothers. Exposed to this hidden history, Naruto had found yet _another_ reason to hate the Hyuuga family.

"**I shared my power with the brothers to give them a way to enact their vengeance, as well as get some of my own in a roundabout way. Thus was born the Sharingan and the Uchiha clan.**"

Naruto bit off his retort as it formed in his head. He knew he'd learn more if he just listened and asked all of his questions later. The blond kept his mouth closed and gave a quick nod. Kyuubi continued, hoping beyond hope that the blond would let him finish with minimal interruptions.

"**The brothers quickly mastered their new Bloodline and took new mates, expanding their clan. After gathering enough support, they started to hire out their services to warring nations, using their powers to utterly destroy all opposition.**" Naruto nodded, knowing where this was going from having already heard the story of how Konohagakure had been created from Ero-Sennin.

Remembering his deceased master brought a twinge of anguish that he quickly squashed. He didn't have time to mourn right that moment. "**The only clan that was their equal in battle was the mighty Senju clan of the forest; they frequently met on opposite sides of the same battlefield.** **The brothers lost many of their kin during those bloody, war-filled years. As a result of these conflicts, they soon unlocked another level of the Bloodline I'd gifted to them. The Mangekyo Sharingan.**"

"Wait... 'Kaleidoscope'? You mean...?"

"**Yes. They gained a measure of the very Magic I'd learned from the Wizard Marshall himself." **He waited to see if the boy had another question, but he remained silent. **" Your sensei displayed that very power, though only the basic form, against the clay user of the Akatsuki if I'm not mistaken. I believe it was named 'Kamui' if I remember correctly,**" the fox said, quirking his head to the side as if trying to remember something. Shrugging, the fox brought his attention back to his sole audience member.

"**Unfortunately, the second state of the Sharingan has a slight drawback. It causes the user to gradually lose their eyesight." **Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise,** "The more someone uses its power, the more rapidly it degrades their vision. When the two brothers realized this, they searched for me to seek answers.**" Naruto, aware that the story was coming to a close, leaned forward again.

Kyuubi sighed as he remembered the brothers kneeling before him, begging him for a cure. "**Upon seeing their plight, I offered them the only solution available. One of the brothers had to sacrifice their own eyes to cure the others.**" The blond's eyes widened at the startling revelation. He tried to imagine himself in the same position and quickly discarded the thought."**Shinji chose to give Madara his own eyes of his own free will, thus curing Madara's eyesight to its original state. Shinji lost his life that day, but Madara gained yet another of my own natural abilities: immortality.**"

After a few moments of thought, Kyuubi decided that he'd explained everything he needed to. He looked down at the blond with a deadpan expression. "**So how are you doing, Kit? Are you following any of this whatsoever?**"

Naruto thought about everything he'd been told thus far and carefully picked his way through the pieces. He decided that the whole story had been entirely too dreary and needed his 'touch' to improve the situation. "I _think_ so... that guy Madara is _really_ an immortal, and _you're_ the reason his clan exists in the first place… so that makes you…" he paused for a moment as he held back a snicker while trying to keep his own face deadpan "a monkey's uncle."

Kyuubi sighed. "**Yeah… that's right… I'm a monkey's uncle. Now would you mind telling me how you **_**came**_** to that conclusion?**"

Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. At the Kyuubi's annoyed glare he finally started trying to calm down. "Sorry, sorry!" he finally managed. "It's just that you know how Uchiha always copy everything with their eyes… and, like, 'monkey see, monkey do'. So because you made the Sharingan… well… monkey's uncle!" he exclaimed with a grin, hoping that the demon fox would find the humor. No such luck.

Naruto sighed at the fox's lack of humor and got serious. "Okay, so I've got one _more_ Uchiha to deal with on top of Itachi and Sasuke-slash-Orochimaru-teme. You're also saying that Sasuke-teme must've somehow unlocked his Mangekyo Sharingan... and after that snake-teme took his body, he somehow mastered how to use that power to send Kabuto to this dimension to find and kill me? Did I get all that right?" he asked as he looked up at the giant form behind the bars. Kyuubi inclined his head slightly in affirmation.

"**In a nutshell: yes. I'm glad you're not as dumb as you used to be,**" he said, causing the blond to stick out his tongue."**It's nice being able to explain something and you being able to connect the dots without too much help." **Naruto tried to ignore the subtle insults but he was finding it difficult.** " Oh, one thing I forgot to mention though." **Capturing the blond's attention was a miracle, he was figuring out the tricks though. Naruto squinted his eyes, waiting for the fox to continue.** "The Mangekyo Sharingan has the ability to influence my own actions, an ability that has been a very **_**large**_** annoyance to me on more than one occasion.**"

Naruto looked at his tenant with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"**The night I attacked your village, I was being controlled by Madara. He hoped to use me to destroy the very village that he helped to create, having abandoned it after his clan failed to back his opinions. Were it not for your Hokage,**" Naruto gave a small grin** "he may have very well succeeded. There isn't a ninjutsu in existence, to my knowledge, that could have stopped me,**" Kyuubi said with a hint of regret.

"**The only thing capable of halting my rampage was the fuinjutsu he used to put me in you. And while I had no great love for ninja as a whole, I couldn't help but pity those poor souls that I killed as they protected their homes. In fact, their sacrifice raised my estimations of ninja a great deal.**" Kyuubi's voice carried a large amount of respect, causing Naruto to smile at the fox. That good feeling quickly died as he realized what those words meant for him.

"Great. So, not only do I have to deal with the snake-teme, Itachi, and that Madara guy, but all three of them can control you?" he asked, sighing with exasperation. Kyuubi simply nodded while he frowned. Naruto brought his hands together behind his head and flopped backwards on the floor. "To quote my lazy friend: Troublesome..."

Kyuubi snorted out a laugh. "**No kidding. Alright, I think that's enough for one night. After all, we wouldn't want to overload your puny mind with too much information. Get some sleep Kit.**" Naruto stuck out his tongue at the fox.

"Yeah, yeah," the blond said dismissively as he stood and turned away. When he saw his girlfriend's sleeping form lying near the wall, he turned his head with an embarrassed smile. "Um... How do I get Hinata-chan out of here?" he asked sheepishly as he turned back to the unconscious girl.

"**Don't worry, I'll take care of it. You just rest.**"

With that, Naruto finally felt himself drift out of his mindscape and into a very nice dream with him and Hinata.

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Author's Notes

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Okay, I know this is short, and I hate it when I make short chapters, but it needed to end here for the story to flow. However, because I ended it here, that means that I've already got a head start on my next chapter!

I'd like to take a moment to thank Rooster Teeth for _not_ suing me for ripping off a portion of their skit. But seeing as I know they have a sense of humor, they probably wouldn't begrudge my readers a laugh. Kudos to anyone who knows what I'm talking about!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	17. Daybreak

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Okay, I have to agree with my buddy... Multitasking sucks. I'm trying to write MEDW _and_ WDP at the same time, but I'm having trouble writing either of them for any considerable length of time. Add in work and required sleep to recover from the 12-hour shift and I'm not left with much time to get some serious writing done.

Much thanks from me to **eternalshiva** for offering to beta this story. She's blunt, but _damn_ does she produce results! I wouldn't ask for anything less. Thanks for all the hard work you do!

Chapter 17, away!

Enjoy!

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Forest outside Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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Growing up on the streets tends to create certain habits that one rarely ever forgets; such as sleeping with a weapon and waking every twenty to thirty minutes to check your surroundings. The one habit one learns immediately is the art of already having a plan to move the instant your body recognized danger; a skill quickly conjoined with being able to implement that plan while you are still half asleep.

All of these were habits that exemplified the kind of person Ryan Rito was.

All of these habits almost got him killed.

With all of the things that had occurred during the last forty-eight hours, Rito was understandably tense and more than a little jumpy. So when Sayuri came to wake him at seven as requested, he almost let fly the knife he'd palmed during the night.

Had she not quickly called his name, he would have very likely completed the throw. A quick apology on his part earned him another smile from the girl. Although he could barely see it through the mask she had placed on her face, overnight he'd assume, it was there nonetheless.

Getting down from the tree proved to be an exhilarating experience for the giant. The fact that his method of getting down further cemented his 'ninja' status in the minds of the Otogakure ninja was just a plus.

"Hey, Sayuri-chan, catch!" The girl looked over towards him only to be met with the sight of his jacket. She caught it and quickly saw Rito's bags following right behind. Stumbling a bit at the weight of her burden, she tried to keep her balance on the narrow branch while glaring daggers at her assailant.

"Izuru-san! What was that for?!" she shot back with a little heat. Her killing intent rolled off him like water on a duck and he smiled at her discomfiture.

"I need to see exactly what I'm capable of and get the kinks out from last night. Take my stuff down to the bottom and I'll meet you there in a few," he told her as he stretched his arms skyward and arched his back a bit. She was amazed that he could keep his balance while leaning so far backwards. His back cracked, causing her to cringe a bit.

"Sure..." she managed to respond as she stared. Rito righted himself and leaned forward to touch his toes, giving Sayuri a good view of his assets. Sayuri unconsciously leaned to the side a bit in order to get a better view. After a few seconds, he stood straight once again and flashed a quick smile at her.

"See you at the bottom!" he exclaimed as he shifted his weight backwards. Sayuri let out an involuntary gasp as he fell past the point of recovery. She took a step forward in a vain attempt to catch him before she realized that his feet were still sticking to the branch as he fell, causing him to swing around it like the hand of a clock.

Rito reduced the _chi_ in his feet to release its hold on the branch, using the momentum to propel him towards his next target. He reached out with one arm to catch the branch a few feet away and used the centrifugal force to redirect himself to a lower branch that was capable of holding his weight.

He landed on the sturdy branch with a jolt as the wood absorbed the shock. He shook his head at his misjudgment and leaped forward to continue his acrobatics. Using both hands this time, he grabbed a passing branch and swung his legs to increase his momentum on the upswing. At the apex, he released the branch and twisted his body around so that he was facing away from the branch he'd just released with his head pointed towards the ground as he came to a stop. The zero momentum lasted a microsecond, but it was long enough for Rito's adrenaline to start pumping.

Rito began to plummet towards the forest floor, his eyes darting back and forth looking for the perfect branch. The grin plastered on his face wouldn't go away as he realized that he hadn't had this much fun since he'd had his ass handed to him by Kakashi back in Shinjuku. As he neared the lowest branch, he noticed the Otogakure ninja on the ground looking up at him in amazement at his apparent suicide.

With a smirk, he reached out with both hands, snagged the last branch, and whipped his body back into the air. He rotated his body around in three dimensions so that he landed facing his audience. His feet impacted with barely a sound.

He stood from his crouch with smirk and rubbed a knot out of his left shoulder with his right hand as he began walking towards the group. "Report," he barked, causing them to jump in surprise.

After a few seconds of silence, one brave soul took a step forward and straightened his posture. "Sir! No unusual activity to report since we began our watches! The last light went off at 1:47 AM in the second to last room on the first floor's east wing. That same room's light returned at 6:53 AM."

Rito nodded at the man and waved at him to relax. "Must be the maids' room. Makes sense. Good job. Who took first watch?" he asked. Four of the men took a step forward. "Okay, you four will take the first watch during the day, too. Take four-hour rotations in the same positions as before. Grab some breakfast before heading to your posts," he said with a lighter tone. "It's going to be a long day."

He glanced around at the gathered ninja for a moment, taking in the sight of his 'troop'. He knew that he was going to have to kill them all in the near future, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to take his 'responsibility' seriously for the time being. "How is everyone doing on water?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Several of them removed canteens from their hips, while others removed their backpacks to dig for theirs. Rito sighed in frustration at the sight. What did these people teach their ninja about surviving in the wild? Looking up from his mental ranting, he gave them all a hard glare, causing several of them to gulp involuntarily.

"Of those of you with water in your canteens, how many of you have _more_ than half of it filled?" A few canteens were shaken, but no one indicated in the affirmative. A growl escaped Rito's throat at the group's incompetence.

"Drink everything you have and go refill it in the stream that's four miles _that_ way," he ordered, pointing off to his left. "Those of you that didn't bother to even _fill_ your canteens..." he paused, glaring hard at the ninja "are going to _sprint_ the entire way. Then, once you get there, you will fill your canteens and immediately drink _half_ of it before completely refilling it once again." As a few of the men started to turn, Rito raised a hand to halt them.

"For my sprinters: if you haven't refilled your canteens for the second time by the time Sayuri-san," he shot a thumb over his shoulder to the girl behind him, who'd arrived a few seconds after him, "gets there, I'll have her make you pull double watches while I'm gone. Clear?" The response to his order was half a dozen nodding heads and one sneering face from a ninja near the back.

His vision zeroed in on the sneer. "You got a problem, ass-hat?" he asked the ninja. The man inclined his head and looked at the giant with a haughty expression.

"Yeah, I've got a problem! Why the hell should we listen to you when you can't even perform jutsu? Especially when it's something as stupid as water!" he exclaimed, looking around for some support. He received none, a few of his comrades actually taking a step away from him. Rito heard a groan from behind him and knew that this wasn't the first time this guy had caused a problem.

"Looks like we've got a bad seed on our hands. Okay dumb ass, I'll respond in reverse order." He crossed his arms and started to slowly walk towards the man. "First, water is necessary to survive. While you may think it's 'stupid', if you can't fight because you get dehydrated in the middle of a battle, you're dead." As he closed the distance between them, he could see a line of perspiration appear below the ninja's forehead protector and decided to up the ante.

"Next, you _should_ listen to what I say. Because if you _don't_, and we manage to make it back home, I'll make sure Orochimaru-sama knows of your impertinence." He saw the man pale and take a few steps back, running into the tree behind him. Rito couldn't help but smile inwardly at the man's cowardice. "But... I like to deal with problems myself." Taking one final step, he came to a halt directly in front of the dissident.

In one fluid motion, he whipped out the gun from the small of his back, racked back the slide and pressed it against the man's forehead, staring him down with dead eyes. "You _really _should listen to me, because if you _don't_, I'll fucking kill you." Rito pulled the trigger, causing the ninja to cringe and yelp. However, the hammer fell on an empty chamber with a 'click'. The giant removed the gun and lifted the man up to his level by his shirt with his left arm.

"Give me or Sayuri any more shit and it won't be empty the next time. Understand?" The ninja started shaking uncontrollably as he stuttered out an affirmative. "Good. Glad you learned your lesson." He released the other man and he fell to the ground. Rito sneered at the crumpled form at his feet. "Get your dirty ass off of my clean ground and clean yourself off at the stream. You still have to sprint there and fill your canteen twice. Now, go!"

None of the ninja needed to be told twice, the whole group disappearing in a flash.

Rito turned back to the sole remaining ninja, who was smirking at him, and gave an exaggerated sigh. "_This_ is the crap you've had to deal with?" he asked.

Sayuri nodded. "Yeah, but only when Kabuto-sama wasn't around. Now that he's dead, I can see that he may become a thorn in our sides." She glanced in the direction they'd gone and frowned. "Do you think he'll keep it up?"

Rito grimaced and looked in the same direction. "His type always does. Keep an eye on him. If he starts up again, just kill him and be done with it. We don't have time to deal with his bull shit on this mission," he said as he turned and locked eyes with her. "That goes for all of them. I'll take the fall if it comes down to it since you'd just be following my orders. But if anyone causes trouble at a critical moment, it'll get us all killed."

Sayuri nodded seriously. "Right." She sighed and turned back towards the rising sun. "Guess I'd better get moving," she said with a grin. "Back in a flash!"

She took to the trees in a blur, leaving Rito standing in the forest with his own thoughts.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - One hour later

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Hinata awoke lying on something hard and warm. Even though it was solid, it wasn't uncomfortable and she snuggled closer to her pillow to find a better position. Sighing with content, she started to drift back to sleep when her brain finally caught up with her actions.

Her eyes shot open as her mind processed where she'd fallen asleep at. '_I-I-I fell a-asleep on _Naruto_?! A-a-and he's not wearing a shirt!_' Her face burned as blood rushed to her face. Slowly, she tore her eyes away from his chiseled chest to look up at his sleeping face.

Naruto's features looked peaceful and stress-free. Hinata couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, he shifted his body, causing Hinata to slip off of his chest and into the space between his body and his arm. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer with a content smile as he settled himself.

Hinata blushed crimson at her predicament, but smiled and adjusted herself so that she was comfortable. Despite her embarrassment, she was happy to be right where she was; safely in the arms of the one she loved. Acting on impulse, she reached up timidly and stroked the whisker-like marks on his cheek, causing him to shiver slightly and lean into her ministrations.

She giggled softly at him and rubbed his other cheek, receiving an identical reaction for her efforts. A sharp pair of knocks caused her to jump. Hisui opened the door and stepped into the room. She was holding a bundle in her arms, but Hinata couldn't tell what it was at first glance.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama. Were you already awake?" the maid asked.

Hinata nodded and tried to get the blood in her cheeks to recede. "H-hai. I just woke up a little bit ago. Good morning, Hisui-san. Do you know what time it is?"

"It is currently just after eight o'clock in the morning," she replied. She focused her gaze on Naruto and tilted her head slightly. "I take it Naruto-sama is also a deep sleeper?" she asked curiously.

Hinata giggled as she looked up at the blond, who was still fast asleep despite the girls' conversation. "I guess so." She sighed and pushed herself up with one arm. Though she didn't want to leave her comfortable position, she knew that she needed to wake Naruto up. Escaping his grip, she sat on her knees and lightly shook her love.

"Naruto-kun... Naruto-kun, it's time to wake up..." she said, trying to rouse him. When he didn't respond at all, Hinata sat back with a thoughtful expression. Turning to Hisui with a knowing grin, she asked, "Hisui-san, do you know if Nanaya-san made any _ramen_ for breakfast this morning?" There was a blur of yellow as Naruto shot up in bed.

"_Ramen?!_ Where? Where?" Naruto asked, looking around the room excitedly. When he only saw his giggling girlfriend and the somewhat smiling maid, he turned to Hinata with a forlorn frown. "Hinata-_chaaan_! That was mean..."

His sad-puppy face only caused the girl to laugh harder as she quickly slipped off of the bed and started to walk around it towards the door. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. It was the only way I knew you'd wake up for sure! Now, get dressed quickly so we can go eat breakfast." She turned as she reached the threshold and smiled at the blond. "Who knows? Maybe if we hurry, Rito-sensei will let us get an early start on training this morning!" Leaving the carrot dangling in front of his nose, she disappeared into the hallway.

The mention of training made Naruto jump out of bed with a smile and he dashed to the nightstand to grab a change of clothes. When he saw that the dresser was empty, he looked over at Hisui hopefully. She held out the bundle in her hands with a blank expression.

"I brought you a clean set of clothing since the ones from yesterday were ruined, Naruto-sama." The red-head walked towards him and placed the neatly folded clothes on the chair next to the desk. "Please tell me if they do not fit and I will endeavor to find you something that does."

"Wow! Thanks Hisui-san!" He picked up the shirt lying on top of the pile and held it up in front of him. It was a solid black t-shirt that looked about the right size. He lowered his hands and smiled brightly at the girl. "You're the best! I'll be out in a minute!"

"Please come to the dining room when you have changed, Naruto-sama. Nee-san should have breakfast ready shortly." She gave a small bow and turned to the door while Naruto just sighed at the girl's use of honorific. As Hisui closed the door, Naruto shook his head and quickly got changed.

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Akiha stared at the piano, completely lost in thought. She'd gotten little sleep as her mind kept her awake yet again with thoughts of the foreign man. As she gazed upon the empty seat, she could clearly picture him sitting there, playing the instrument just as he'd done the previous night, and wondered once again why even memories of him seemed to muddle her brain.

She quickly banished the thought before it became too distracting for her to complete her objective for coming here. She took quick steps over to the mahogany musical piece and reached out for the sheets of music that he'd left there in his haste to confront the intruder. However before she could pick them up, something small and silver caught her eye.

She turned to the edge of the piano to see a MP3 player lying there with a pair of ear buds plugged into it and wondered where it had come from. '_Could it be Rito-san's? Strange how I didn't notice it lying there last night..._' she thought as she picked it up and turned it over in her hands to look at it. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she placed both of the buds into her ears and made sure the volume was set to a tolerable level before pressing 'Play'.

She was surprised to hear the exact same song she'd helped to complete flow from the music player and glanced at the screen of the device. She noticed that it was the very last song on the playlist and pressed the 'Next' button to go to the first. A light guitar started playing for about eight seconds before an electric guitar joined it and seemed to pick up the tempo a bit. Not being a fan of the rock music that Nanaya and Rito seemed to favor, she moved her finger to press 'Next' again when the lyrics started. She froze as she listened to the words she was hearing.

"_You can't quit until you try, you can't live until you die,_

_You can't learn to tell the truth until you learn to lie!_

_You can't breath until you choke, you gotta laugh when you're the joke,_

_There's nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive!_

_Just open your eyes, just open your eyes,_

_And see that life is beautiful!_

_Will you swear on your life, that no one will cry,_

_At my funeral?_"

She frowned as she continued to listen to the rest of the song and tried to translate the foreign language while simultaneously interpreting the meaning behind them. As the song changed, her expression didn't as a mix of electronic and rock assaulted her senses. The music sounded _much_ darker than the previous song.

"_Hands cover whispers of the lover's fright,_

_Fear cloaked renditions of that Autumn night,_

_Digging up rumors of the kids in the park,_

_What awful things happened in the dark?_

_Take... just one last dare,_

_Pretend you don't care_

_'Til twilight falls,_

_Wait... there's someone else here,_

_And I can't stop my tears,_

_I've never been so scared..._"

Stopping the device, she stared down at it with mild scorn. She took the speakers from her ears and wrapped the cord around the device before slipping it into the pocket of her skirt. Akiha turned to leave the room and paused a moment, taking a second to look back at the music sheets still sitting on the piano.

'_I'll ask him tonight. He can take them back then._" Nodding to herself, she turned back to the door and closed it behind her as she exited.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion - One _more_ hour later

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"Holy crap..." was all Shiki and Naruto could manage after Rito finally told them everything that happened after he'd left.

Rito just sighed and rubbed his temples. "Tell me about it guys. I'm lucky to be alive right now." He sat back in the comfortable chair and stared at the ceiling. "You know the part that really sucks? I'm going to have to kill all of them sometime in the next day or two."

Akiha narrowed her eyes as Hinata, Naruto and Shiki all looked towards the floor. "You don't have to do it alone, you know," she said, leaning forward in her seat. "All of us can help you, Rito-san," she commented while indicating the other three seated around the room.

Tearing his gaze from the heavens, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, this is something I need to do myself." He opened an eye and pointed to the two ninja sitting next to each other as he continued, "Naruto and Hinata-san both need to make it back to their dimension in... four days, right?" The blond nodded and Rito kept going. "So they're right out of this. As for you two... I'm sure Akiha-san can take them all out just as easily as you did that Kabuto guy, but I'm sure that Shiki will have more of an issue with taking another's life."

Akiha nodded while Shiki grimaced before mirroring his sister. Rito's expression turned serious. "The problem I have with you all dealing with this is that I've got absolutely no issues with killing while the lot of you _do_. Out of everyone here, I'm the only one who doesn't have any ties." The group sat up straight and shot worried looks at the giant.

"If I die, no one will give a shit. The rest of you have normal lives to go back to where people will be expecting you. If I disappear off the face of the earth, my business and all of my employees are already taken care of through my will." He shrugged and leaned back with a carefree sigh. "If I kill them all, you guys won't have to be put in danger. If I don't, but get even a few of them, then that's just less for you guys to deal with when they come looking for trouble."

The room was deadly silent as he finished speaking. Everyone suddenly felt a chill as killer intent started coming off of Akiha in waves again and Naruto and Shiki edged away from the volatile girl. However, her voice was steady as she spoke in English. "What the hell are you trying to pull Ryan? Do you _have_ a death wish or something?"

Rito raised an eyebrow and answered in the same language while the two ninja looked on with confusion. "Something like that Akiha. Honestly, it's more along the line of 'I don't care,'" he said while looking directly into her eyes. "You know what I said is true. You and your brother need each other. I won't put you two in a position where either of you can die if it's within my power to do so.

"As for your guests..." he trailed off as he glanced over at Naruto and Hinata. "...I think Destiny has bigger plans for them. I don't know why we all ended up here at the same time, but I don't believe in coincidences."

"Oh? So everything that's happened in your life was destined to happen?" Akiha asked.

Rito shook his head. "No, I believe I simply made choices during my lifetime that just so happened to lead to me being here at this point in time."

"So now you're saying that it was just chance?"

At Akiha's skeptical look, he smiled and shrugged. "'There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.' A great quote from a great movie, but I really don't believe that something as trivial as 'Chance' had anything to do with our meeting."

"Ano sa, what are you guys saying?" asked Naruto while looking between the two of them completely confused. Shiki looked over at the blond and sighed with relief at the interruption.

"They're arguing about whether or not he should take on those ninja alone. My sister is trying to talk him out of it, but Rito-san seems dead-set. While I agree that his plan makes sense, I don't like the idea of him taking on all twelve of them alone," Shiki explained.

"Whatever..." Rito scoffed. "It's not like I'm going to go out there right now and try to deal with them. We've still got time to plan." Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Let's get training then. I think we should work on that 'chakra' stuff today. Naruto? Hinata?"

The two ninja smiled and started to explain the basics of molding chakra.

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Author's Notes

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I've got two bands to mention and thank for not suing my ass for putting some lyrics from their awesome songs in this chapter: Life is Beautiful by Sixx AM and Lover's End by The Birthday Massacre. I'm sure that by now all of you have figured out that all the songs I've put in this fic have dropped _huge_ clues to Rito's past. Well, Akiha is going to get her chance to solve the enigma that is Rito.

I've gotten a few PMs that I felt I should answer here instead of personally so that I can clear the air with everyone. A couple of my _former_ readers found my habit of being as vague as possible with my plot to be a major downer for them. Apparently they didn't like how I would mention a fact off-hand in the early chapters only to have that little thing come back later and be a major key to the story. Here's what I say to those of you that feel the same: Bite Me.

If you like being able to know exactly where a story is going from the word 'go', then find another author to read. I like being vague to keep my readers guessing and coming back for more. I feel that there's nothing better for keeping a reader hooked than a good cliffy. Heck, I wonder if any of you have even caught my references to another Type-Moon game in my story... (aside from Zelretch, of course) You never know; those references may be _very_ important later on... or not.

Okay, enough ranting! I truly hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's much more rewarding to me when I know I'm writing something people like to read. Yes: I have several things planned that are set in stone. However, your feedback and messages can very easily change what happens later in the story.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


	18. Calm Before the Storm

Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within

By Jolly

A Naruto/Type-Moon story

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Hey everybody! It's good to be back!

I know I said many chapters ago that I wouldn't apologize for the length of time between my updates, but after not posting for seven and a half months, I feel I owe you all a good 'sorry' or two.

To be absolutely honest I've been sitting on the mostly finished chapter for about four months, but was too busy to fully complete it. Personal issues and work kept me from doing any serious writing for the last several months… but hey! That's just life, right?

Anyways, I'd like to give a big 'Thanks' to **eternalshiva** for the beta on this chapter! Without her fixing my screw-ups, I'd likely never update!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system... Onwards with Chapter 18!

Enjoy!

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Forest outside Tohno Mountain Mansion - Present day

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'_What do I do...?_' a very torn Sayuri asked herself as she refilled her canteen for the second time that day. With all the crazy things that had happened, she didn't really know what to believe or how she should react to the present problem she was facing.

While not a genius, she was a very intelligent and shrewd individual and right now she knew two things for a fact.

The first was that she and the rest of her team were stuck in this dimension, regardless of whether they completed their assigned mission or not. Kabuto had been the only person entrusted with the knowledge of the rendezvous point and time for their egress of this world. With him dead, the chances of them finding the location was pretty much zero.

The second thing she knew without a doubt was that Rito Izuru was dead.

The man claiming to be Izuru may speak, walk, and even smell like him, but he wasn't Izuru. Even taking into account the man's story of memory loss and the items he produced to substantiate it, there were too many inconsistencies to ignore. While screwing the lid back onto the container, she began to list the obvious signs in her head.

One: The man could _not_ use chakra at all. While he claimed that the dimensional shift 'messed up' his chakra, the fact remained that he used none at all while ascending and descending from the tree. Whatever energy he _did_ use truly acted like chakra and allowed him to display skill similar to a ninja with his alleged handicaps, it wasn't chakra. He didn't even use the one-handed sign used for molding chakra that all ninja knew.

Two: For only being in this dimension for two days before meeting them, he was unusually comfortable using an unfamiliar weapon; a trait the real Izuru didn't possess. The real Izuru was a notorious klutz with any weapon except those with an edge.

Put a sword, trench knife, kunai, shuriken, or any other bladed instrument in his hands and he could walk into a room filled with crazed prisoners and test subjects and come out with barely a scratch. She'd even seen him go toe-to-toe with Uchiha Sasuke using only a sword; something that had annoyed the boy greatly.

Give him anything else and he was more liable to hurt himself than his foe.

Three: Izuru was a _very_ deep sleeper. It was something that Sayuri used to chide him about constantly when they were growing up and she'd been unable to break him of the habit even after they'd become ninja. This man claiming to be him was very obviously _not_ a deep sleeper considering he almost killed her that morning.

While everything else about the man screamed 'Izuru' - because she knew no one else crazy enough to free fall halfway down a tree with a smile on their face -, those three things pointed to the conclusion that her childhood friend and life-long love was gone forever. The question begged to be asked: '_Who is he?_'

Was he the one that killed Izuru in their world? If so, how did he get between worlds in the first place? If not, then who _did_ kill him? Why was he pretending to be Izuru when the probability of him being found out was so high?

She scowled as she answered her own question. '_Because he wants to help his friends survive, of course_,' she thought. She was surprised to find that the thought didn't upset her like she thought it should. When she realized this, the reason became obvious. '_It's something that Izuru would do if _I_ was in danger..._'

That realization brought her back to the question of who he was. Was he really the alternate version of Izuru? Is that why he recognized her instantly when she removed her mask? Then that would mean that an alternate version of her existed in this world, too. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to answer those questions without asking him directly.

So this brought her once again to the original question: What should she do? The obvious answer was to rally the ninja under her and attack the mansion while they least expected it. However, if she did that, then she would never get answers. Besides, with Izuru gone, she no longer held any loyalty towards anyone; especially not Orochimaru.

The only reason she became a ninja in the first place was because of a childhood promise with Izuru. Now that it had disappeared, she was left with several options.

She could go ahead and attack the mansion, thereby not getting answers to the questions plaguing her mind. She could abandon her mission and try to create a life for herself in this world, something that would likely cause the rest of the ninja to hunt her down, or she could betray her team and help this world's Izuru in protecting the Kyuubi's jinchuriki.

She weighed all the pros and cons of each option, but came no closer to making a decision. Just when she'd almost given up, the voice of her friend rang through her head accompanied by a vision of his grinning face.

'_Come on, Sayuri-chan! Think outside the box! There's always another option if you look at it from a different angle._'

She realized what she needed to do. She did some quick calculations in her head and smiled at the results she got. Securing her canteen, she took to the trees and made her way back to the camp to bide her time until she was able to put her plan into motion.

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Tohno Mountain Mansion

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"...and once you have the basic storage seal memorized, I'll break out the ink and let you all try it out," said Naruto, completing his basic rundown of the mechanics of fuinjutsu. Or at least the parts that he remembered from all of Ero-Sennin's lectures on the subject.

Sitting around the dining room table with brushes and paper were Akiha, Rito, Nanaya and Hisui who all began practicing the basic storage seal with some paint that Nanaya had found in a closet. Hinata and Naruto were walking around the table correcting any mistakes they saw while giving pointers to avoid the same errors again.

Shiki was seated at the table as well, but because he could not use chakra, learning how to seal would be pointless. So instead, he was offering moral support to the group while the two ninja gave pointers.

Shiki shifted his gaze from the enthusiastic Nanaya to the determined Hisui and smiled at how seriously his lover was taking to the art. Hisui and Nanaya were often polar opposites when it came to anything. However, when it came to chakra and jutsu, the two girls seemed completely equal in all aspects.

He theorized that it had something to do with the fact that their bodies were naturally used to drawing on and using their own energies.

He glanced over at his sister and had to bite back a chuckle at her frustrated expression. While her chakra network was still recovering from the trauma caused by supporting three lives with what should have been only able to support one, Akiha had very little trouble learning how to mold it.

However when it came to learning how to create the seal, she was at a standstill. Their father had raised Akiha to be a 'proper lady' and made sure she received instruction in all things that the title entailed. Music, art, history, etiquette and politics had been drilled into her from the time she could read and write. Unfortunately, using a paintbrush to make a portrait and using one to draw out a delicate latticework were two fundamentally different skills.

In the last ten minutes, Akiha had gone through several pieces of paper; all of which were covered in failed attempts. She was getting steadily better, but her frustration was causing her to make more mistakes than were necessary. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but before anything came out, Rito reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.

Akiha jumped slightly in surprise and looked over at the frowning man. "Take a minute and calm yourself, Akiha-san. You're making mistakes because of your frustration," he told her with a stern expression, causing her to nod and take a calming breath. Satisfied, Rito went back to what he was doing with fervor.

Shiki watched the byplay with interest and curiosity. Of the entire group, the giant was the strangest. Not that the rest of them weren't strange in their own right, but Rito was an enigma. By all accounts, he was a simple businessman from America who'd grown up in rough conditions.

Therein lied the the genesis of the mystery.

Like Shiki, Rito could not use chakra. While this was no surprise to anyone, the man did surprise them all by mimicking Naruto when the blond had showed them the uses of chakra.

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Flashback

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"…lots of stuff! You can perform jutsu and climb trees without using your hands and even walk on water!"

Akiha raised a brow skeptically. "Climb a tree without using your hands?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yup! Here, just watch." The blond formed the Ram seal he'd just taught them with his hands and casually walked over to the wall after gathering the required chakra in his feet. He then planted a foot against the vertical surface and leaned back as he lifted his other foot off the ground and began to walk up the wall until he reached the ceiling. "See? Cool, huh?" he gloated loudly with a grin.

The entire group, except Hinata and Rito, were gaping up at the boy in speechless admiration. The silence was broken by a deep chuckle.

"So _that's_ chakra." Everyone turned to see Rito removing his boots, ignoring their stares. Quickly tossing his jacket over a chair, he walked to the same wall Naruto had climbed and hopped forward while leaning backwards. To both ninja's surprise, his feet stuck to the wall, just as Naruto's did, and everyone watched as he made his way up to the blond.

"Yo. Nice weather we're having today, ne?" he asked the blond with a smirk.

"Wha- ? Ho-? Yo-? HUH?" Naruto sputtered as he looked from the giant next to him to the ground and back again.

Rito just smiled thoughtfully at his companion. "If this is what you can do with chakra, then what I use is no different." He brought his hand up to his chin in thought. "Makes me wonder if these 'jutsu' you mentioned before are really out of my reach."

A voice from the ground made both of them turn. "What _are_ you using Rito-sensei?!" Hinata had her Byakugan activated and was staring intently at her teacher with it. "I don't see any kind of chakra flow in you at all! How are you walking on the wall?"

Rito shrugged and started walking back down as he spoke. "Chi. I know Shiki compared the two energies the other day, but when you told me I didn't have a chakra network, I figured it was just a general comparison." He hopped down the last six feet and landed softly on the wood floor. "However, it seems that they're not so dissimilar after all. Looks like today, _you're_ the sensei," he said with a smirk.

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End Flashback

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"Naruto-sensei, can you see if I've got this right?" Naruto turned to the giant with a start before remembering himself and walking over to help. He was still getting used to the fact that he now wore the title 'sensei.'

A quick glance verified that it was indeed correct. "Yeah, that's good Ryan. Make ten more like that and then I think you'll be ready to try it." There was a mutual nod between the two and Rito got back to work while Naruto went over to look over Nanaya's shoulder.

A sigh caught Hinata's attention, causing her to walk over to Akiha. "What's the matter Akiha-san?"

The girl turned in her chair and looked up at her guest and teacher. "I keep making errors. It doesn't matter how many times I do it, I just can't seem to get it perfect!"

Hinata looked down at the paper in front of the girl and saw the mistakes covering it. She noticed that all of the diagrams had mistakes in different places. Looking back to the Tohno family head, she said, "Try again and I'll see if I can find where you're making your mistakes at."

Sighing once again, Akiha returned her attention to her paper and started yet another seal. About a quarter of the way through her hand twitched, causing the brush to shift to the side slightly and ruin the character. A slight growl escaped from her throat, but was cut off as Hinata grabbed her hand and the brush, adjusting her grip slightly.

"Try it that way. Be sure to keep your elbow level with your hand. Otherwise the brush will be slightly off from the way it's supposed to be," the lavender-eyed girl explained with a smile.

Akiha tried once again and found that the position was much more comfortable, making it easier to complete the diagram. After a few tries, she managed to get it perfect. "Wow… thank you Hinata," she said looking up with a thankful expression. "I didn't realize my posture was to blame."

Hinata nodded back at her. "It's important to be relaxed while making seals. If you're too stiff and tense, you're prone to make more mistakes than if you're letting your body go with the flow. Go ahead and make ten more perfect seals and you should be ready to try, too."

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"Seal!" Akiha yelled as she channeled chakra through her hands into the seal she'd made. With a cloud of smoke, the plate she had set out disappeared and the kanji for 'dish' appeared inside the seal circle.

"Good job! Now take it out again and you'll have mastered the basic sealing technique!" exclaimed Naruto happily. Giving him a nod, Akiha turned back to the paper in front of her.

"Release!" With another cloud of smoke, the plate reappeared on the table.

"Great! Congratulations Akiha-san! You did it!" Hinata said proudly.

Akiha smiled down at her work with relief. She had been the last one to complete the exercise, but she _had_ completed it and that was all that mattered to her.

She looked around the room and noticed that Rito and Nanaya were nowhere to be seen. "Where'd Rito-san and Nanaya go?" she asked. Naruto shrugged and Hinata looked out towards the foyer.

"He asked Naruto-kun for a vial of ink and then asked Nanaya for assistance with something. But that was almost two hours ago." She turned back to her hostess and asked, "Should we look for them?"

"That won't be necessary. I'm right here."

Everyone turned to see Rito walk into the room followed by a smiling Nanaya. Akiha quickly noticed the bandages on both wrists and the medical tape on either side of his neck that held securely to the back of it. She narrowed her eyes as she deduced what had happened.

"You didn't do what I think you did?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Naruto looked back and forth between the two with confusion plain on his face.

Rito smiled as he carefully sat down at the table and thought about his reply. "Yep. I tattooed the basic seal on both wrists and had Nanaya put one on the back of my neck," he explained, though the word 'tattooed' came out in English since Rito didn't know its Japanese equivelant. "Hurt like a bitch, too," he said with chagrin.

Naruto and Hinata wore identical confused expressions, not knowing English, while Akiha scowled at the man.

"Ano sa, what's 'tattooed' mean?" asked Naruto, looking back and forth from Akiha to Rito.

Akiha turned to the blond and crossed her arms as she explained. "It's where someone creates a design on their body by taking a needle and jabbing it into their skin while injecting ink, thus making the design permanent."

Naruto cringed and gave an involuntary shiver. He _hated_ needles. "Why would anyone do that to themselves?"

Glad that someone else saw it her way, she gave a smirk and shot a sidelong glare at Rito. "I have _no_ idea. Why don't you ask him?"

Rito merely chuckled. "Oh, I agree with you Akiha-san. I think tattooing is stupid and counterproductive in the long run. But most tattoos are merely artistic or symbolic." He held up both wrists and displayed the bandages. "_These_, however, are not. If these work, I'll never have to worry about being caught unarmed ever again."

He gave a wide grin as the Akiha and the two ninja nodded, grudgingly conceding the point. "Plus, now I don't have to lug around those bags anymore!"

A voice behind him interrupted his joy. "That's not entirely true Rito-sensei." Rito turned to see Nanaya smiling down at him. "You have to let it heal before you try using it. Otherwise it might get infected and ruin the seal."

Rito gaped at the maid in shock. "Are you serious?" he asked. She gave a nod. He turned, closed his eyes and palmed his forehead. Unfortunately, the motion caused the tattoo on his neck to stretch, resulting in a sharp burning pain shooting down his spine. "Sssss!"

He quickly righted his posture and arched his back a bit in an unconscious effort to undo his mistake. "Damn... Note to self: Don't look at feet." He heard a giggle from down the table a bit and opened an eye to see Akiha covering her mouth with merriment filling her eyes. "Ha, ha... I know I'm stupid for doing it, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up."

"Ano..." Everyone shifted their attention towards the quite voice coming from behind Naruto. Hinata blushed a bit at the sudden attention, but hardened her resolve and continued. "Perhaps if you use my cream they'll heal faster...?" she suggested.

"Great idea, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed with a smile.

Rito started to give a nod, but stopped halfway as his another jab of pain shot through him. "Fuck!" he cursed in English. "Addendum: Don't look at ceiling either," he continued in Japanese. "Thank you very much, Hinata-san. I'd greatly appreciate anything that will make this heal faster."

She gave a nod and started to leave when she noticed the look on Akiha's face. She turned back to her boyfriend. "Naruto-kun, would you mind helping me? We'll need new bandages to replace the ones that are already on."

Not realizing the ploy, he happily agreed and they both quickly disappeared into the foyer to go retrieve the medicine. Shiki had already gone with Hisui earlier to help her experiment with the sealing technique. Nanaya gave a saucy wink to Akiha behind Rito's back and said, "I think I'll go start on lunch. Why don't you two go wait in the sitting room and I'll send Hisui-chan when it's done?" she suggested as she walked away.

Rito grunted in agreement and slowly made his way to his feet while Akiha settled her gaze onto the giant and kept her arms crossed. She silently followed him across the foyer and took a seat opposite from him in the sitting room. He carefully settled himself so as not to further aggravate his 'injuries' further. Finally comfortable, he leaned his head back and broke the silence.

"So..." he prompted.

"Why does everything you do piss me off so much, Ryan?" she asked in English. Though surprised at her continued use of the language, Rito decided that she must not want to be overheard. Since the only other person in the mansion who could understand his native tongue was Shiki, and Rito was sure the boy already had a good idea about what was going on, he had no problem playing along.

He stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles as he smirked. "Just my charming personality I guess." Akiha noticed his green eyes begin to glimmer with amusement as he continued. "Besides, not _everything_ I do pisses you off. What about my musical ability?"

Akiha was forced to fight back a blush at the sudden reminder of the previous night's activities. Finding herself losing the battle, she turned her head to the side slightly and tried to blow it off. "I suppose there are exceptions," she managed to get out with an even tone.

Rito frowned at how she was acting. Just like with Sayuri, Rito was able to pick up on the signs of attraction from the girl quite easily. However, where Sayuri had been very tenacious in her pursuit of his love, Akiha almost seemed to outright deny her feelings towards him to herself. Though he already had a girlfriend, he still felt he needed to open her eyes for her.

Just like with Naruto the day before, he didn't care if someone lied to him, but he couldn't stand by and let someone lie to themselves. The question was: How to get her to admit it to herself without being cruel. Maybe point out the obvious...?

"Exceptions, huh?" he asked with a skeptical expression. He pointed one finger at her and caught her eye again. "The only times you've been angry with me, that I've seen, are when I've done something that was dangerous or stupid in your eyes. So I think you've got it backwards."

A smile crept across his face as Akiha sputtered incoherently. Luckily for her, Hinata chose that moment to 'find' them. "Ah, so that's where you got to, Rito-sensei."

"Yeah, we decided it would be a more comfortable venue," he replied, dropping into Japanese once again. Rito didn't turn around to look at the girl; knowing that if he did, the motion would aggravate his tattoo. Instead, he leaned forward so he could move wherever Hinata wanted him to be so she could get at it easier.

He felt Hinata place a hand on his shoulder and put pressure on it to keep him sitting. "Stay there until this starts taking effect. I can apply it easier from the position you're already in," she told him as he saw Naruto come around on the other side of him with Nanaya's giant medical kit. He felt the girl's hand going over the tape holding the bandage in place and could hear the concern in her voice. "Ano... this will probably hurt."

"Just get it over with quickly," Rito responded while gritting his teeth. A second later, his whole world went white from the pain followed by the profuse apologies of Hinata. After several seconds of fluent swearing filling the room, Rito finally got himself under control and calmed himself down.

Akiha's amazed voice was the first thing he heard after the resounding silence that followed his tirade. "I'm pretty sure you just managed to curse half a dozen deities in eight different languages. Impressive."

Rito just _knew_ that she had a smirk on that smug face of hers. He could _hear_ it. Hinata began applying the cream while Rito tried his best to keep still. Without looking, he pointed a finger at Akiha accusingly. "You... hush. I already know I'm stupid. No need for rock salt."

"You know," Naruto said from beside him. "It's really annoying how you two keep talking so that Hinata-chan and I can't understand." The blond clumsily applied another bandage over the seal after his girlfriend had finished with the one on his neck, allowing Rito to sit back to look him in the eye before replying.

"Sorry, Naruto. It's just that when I'm in a lot of pain or very frustrated, I drop back into my native language without thinking. I don't even notice the difference since my mind can think in Japanese as easily as English." He noticed the confused expressions on both ninja's faces and raised a brow. "Don't different countries have different languages back in your world?"

They both shook their heads. Hinata had already started working on his right wrist as she spoke. "No. Everyone in the Elemental Nations speaks the same language. There are different dialects, but the only other language that I'm aware of there ever being was the one sealing techniques were created with."

She started on the left wrist while Naruto sloppily bandaged her work on the right, thus making her stop to correct him. "Tighter Naruto-kun. They need to stay secure until I change them tomorrow," she told her boyfriend, who gave an apologetic chuckle while scratching his cheek before fixing his error.

Rito gave her a nod and turned to Naruto with a smile. "Sorry, I'll try to keep it to a minimum." Rito heard footsteps behind him and determined it was Nanaya from the interval between footfalls. "Lunch ready, Nanaya-san?" he asked, turning his head slightly to test his injury.

"Not yet, Rito-sensei," she responded. Rito heard a bit of alarm in her voice and wanted to turn fully to see what was wrong, but he was forced to stay where he was until Hinata and Naruto finished their ministrations. "I came to tell everyone that the radio mentioned there was a massive cold front moving in quickly from the north-west and that it's forecasted to snow sometime tonight or tomorrow," she quickly relayed, causing Akiha to get to her feet and walk out of Rito's line of sight.

"Thank you for informing us Nanaya. Please go inform Hisui and Nii-san of this development while I go check what emergency supplies we have available," Rito heard the girl tell Nanaya as her voice got further away. Both Naruto and Hinata had stopped what they were doing and were looking at Rito in mild confusion.

"What's the big deal? It's just snow. Why is Akiha-san going to check the emergency supplies?" Naruto asked the giant. Rito raised his right arm and rotated his hand and wrist to test the wound before answering.

"The problem is where we are, Naruto," he began. "We're miles away from the nearest town and hours away from the nearest population center with emergency services. With a possible blizzard blowing in from the north-west, it would be stupid to not have things like water, food, and other necessities stocked up."

Naruto looked pensive for a moment before his face lit up he gave a hearty sigh of relief. "Thank kami! I've still got plenty of ramen in my bag!" he yelled, causing Hinata to giggle and Rito to chuckle at his single-mindedness.

"As I was saying, with us being way out in the middle of nowhere, it's possible that the electricity could go out or we could be snowed in for several days. The biggest factor in that happening is the direction the storm is coming from; the north-north-west, west-north-west, or directly north-west," Rito explained.

Naruto finished up the left wrist as Hinata asked, "Why does that matter?" Rito turned his attention to her as he continued.

"Well, it's because of the mountain," he said with a shrug. Naruto began helping Hinata put away the supplies while Rito tested his wrist. "Depending on what direction the snow is blowing from will determine how bad the pile-up will be here at the mansion and down at the village."

Being a scout, learning the geography of a new area quickly was second nature to her. The lay of the land appeared in her head and she tried to envision what Rito meant. The village was almost four miles down the slope directly east-south-east from the mansion while the mansion was only about a mile and a half directly south-east from the steep face of the mountain.

"I see," she said as it started to make sense. "If the village gets more snow, there's a greater chance of us losing electricity but less chance of being stuck inside. If we get more, then it's more likely that we'll be snowed in, but we'll probably still have power." She looked up from her thought for confirmation to see Rito nod.

"Correct. Don't forget that there's still the possibility of it coming from the north-north-west and both the village and the mansion getting heavy amounts of snow," Rito pointed out. "Naruto," he said suddenly, causing the blond to jump.

"Yeah?" the orange-loving ninja asked warily. Rito's merely smiled with mischief in his eye.

"How do you feel about going on a 'mission' for a friend?"

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Author's Notes

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I hope you all liked it! Be on the lookout for my two new upcoming one-shots: Wingman and The Reason! They should be posted sometime before the end of the month! YAY!

Looking forward to writing the next chapter! _Ja-ne!_


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